mrswdk wrote:All hail the rise of the world's most pleasant super power! Breaking with the precedent set by its current colleagues on the Security Council - the UK, France, America, Russia - China has never:
- Sent troops outside its borders, unless to protect someone from aggression
Well, for one, there's the recent tension with Vietnam. "We're not going to invade y'all," China says kindly to Vietnam whilst sipping jasmine tea. "We're just gonna park a few tank battalions right across the border."
http://chinadailymail.com/2014/05/18/la ... am-border/A large number of People’s Liberation Army troops have reportedly been spotted heading towards the China–Vietnam border as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate, reports Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily. Sing Tao Daily is generally considered to be aligned to Chinese state media.
Thousands of Chinese nationals living or on business in Vietnam have already fled the country amid anti-China riots, which were sparked by a tense standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese naval ships near a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters off the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on May 4.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/why-did- ... an-border/mrswdk wrote:- Interfered in another country to topple a government it didn't like
Maybe not toppled a government, but China's being accused of interfering with Malaysia right now.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/the-trut ... -politics/Over the past week, Sino-Malaysian relations have been rocked by allegations that China’s envoy had attempted to interfere in the Southeast Asian state’s internal affairs.
As is often the case, the seemingly endless commentary on the single incident has descended into a he said, she said that obscures the main point of the controversy. In truth, this is just the latest in a string of worrying incidents that clearly demonstrate how China is willing to use its influence to manipulate its “special relationship” with Malaysia, even at the latter’s expense.
According to the Malaysian newspaper The Star, on September 25 China’s ambassador Huang Huikang said that Beijing opposed any form of racial discrimination and would not tolerate violent demonstrations in Malaysia. He made the comments while visiting Petaling Street, a predominantly ethnic Chinese district of Kuala Lumpur. Huang’s remarks, which were made ahead of a planned pro-government rally in response to previous protests urging Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign amid a corruption scandal, were read as a direct interference in Malaysia’s internal affairs (See: “After the Scandal: What’s Next for Malaysia“). ‘Chinese interference’ is a trigger word for Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country with a significant ethnic Chinese minority. It harks back to the days of the early Cold War when the Southeast Asian state worried about the Chinese Communist Party’s links to the Communist Party of Malaysia.
Predictably, Huang clarified his comments at a press conference at the Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur Tuesday, noting that if they were read in context, “there is no person of clear mind who will say the China ambassador is interfering in domestic affairs.” He also referenced the ‘special relationship’ between the two countries, which was forged after Malaysia became the first ASEAN state to normalize ties with China in 1974 under then-Prime Minister Tun Razak, Najib’s father. Yet this parsing of words should not distract us from the broader incident itself and what it says about how Beijing treats arguably one of its closest partners in the Asia-Pacific.
mrswdk wrote:- Imposed a puppet government on a country
Hmmm - Tibet?
http://freetibet.org/news-media/pr/02032010China has announced that Gyaltsen Norbu, the Tibetan boy arbitrarily installed by China as Tibet’s 11th Panchen Lama, has been appointed as a new member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Xinhua (1) announced the appointment yesterday after it was approved on Sunday by a meeting of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC. The CPPCC convenes tomorrow for its annual meeting in Beijing.
In December 1995 Norbu was installed in Beijing as Panchen Lama against the wishes of the Tibetan people who refer to him as “Panchen Zuma” or “fake Panchen”. Tibetan opposition to Norbu stems from the sudden abduction by Chinese state officials of the boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Tibetans believe to be the true Panchen Lama. Gedhun was only five when he was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama in May 1995. Days later, Gedhun was abducted by Chinese officials and has not been seen since. His ongoing enforced disappearance is a major grievance for the Tibetan people.
Yesterday’s appointment of Gyaltsen Norbu to the CPPCC is the latest instance of the Chinese leadership’s carefully managed promotion of its own candidate as Panchen Lama. In 2006 Norbu was placed next to Jia Qinglin, China’s fourth most senior leader, at the opening ceremony of the World Buddhist Forum in Hangzhou, the first religious conference of its kind in China since the Communist takeover in 1949. Norbu made a keynote address to the conference, commenting:
"In this new era we need to shoulder the historical responsibility of defending the nation and working for the people”. (2)
Four weeks ago Xinhua announced that Norbu had been elected Vice-President of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC). (3)
China’s interest in promoting Gyaltsen Norbu so assiduously as Panchen Lama is deeply political. In Tibetan Buddhism, Panchen Lamas traditionally play an important role in the recognition of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. By attempting to bolster the legitimacy of its own puppet candidate, the Chinese leadership is seeking to impose its control over the future selection process for the Dalai Lama, a key step in its wider strategy for bringing Tibet ever more tightly into its political grip.
- See more at:
http://freetibet.org/news-media/pr/0203 ... Lr4Yl.dpuf
mrswdk wrote:- Attempted to force its own views, ideology or principles on another nation
How about North Korea? Hey, I actually like this one! China actually needs to do more to rein in their neighbor to the northeast.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/why-did- ... an-border/Even as North and South Korea engaged in hours of talks over the weekend, in the hopes of defusing tensions, China was apparently making its own preparations for a worst-case scenario on the Korean peninsula.
On Saturday, Chinese social media users began posting pictures of tanks and other military equipment moving through city streets. The photos were purportedly taken in Yanji, China, the capital of Yanbian prefecture in Jilin province, which lies along the China-Korea border.
Other Chinese social media users posted pictures of a train appearing to carry more military equipment – but those pictures were explained as showing military technology on its way to Beijing for the upcoming military parade. There was some confusion about this point, with some of the same pictures being identified by different sources as taken in or outside of Yanji and Beijing.
NK News, in its analysis of the images, said the photos represented “a mechanical unit at least the size of a brigade,” made up of “PTZ-89 tank destroyers (Type 89), a PGZ-95 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (Type 95 SPAAA), and 155 mm self-propelled guns.” Kim Min-seok of the Korea Defense and Security Forum told NK News that there’s precedent of China sending additional units to the border region during times of increased tensions on the peninsula: “During the bombardment of Yeonpyeong in 2010 and after the purge of Jang Song Thaek in 2013, Chinese units were quickly sent to the area to prevent any unexpected surprises from the China-North Korea border.”
NK News’ analysts agreed that China was trying to send a message to North Korea by moving additional military equipment close to the border: Don’t do anything rash.
Interestingly, the photos of troop movements in Yanji began appearing on Chinese social media on Saturday morning – and North and South Korea began their high-level talks on Saturday evening. The timing suggests that Beijing may have massed tanks near the North Korean border to provide extra incentive for the negotiations to go smoothly.
If China did indeed send its forces to the border to help intimidate Pyongyang into negotiating an end to current tensions, that would be music to Seoul’s ears. South Korea’s Cheong Wa Dae recently announced that President Park Geun-hye will attend China’s September 3 celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II – despite reports that the United States had pressured her to turn down the invitation. At the time, Korean media suggested Park made her decision in the hopes that Beijing would reciprocate by helping encourage North Korea to scale down tensions. The announcement about Park’s trip to Beijing was made on Thursday, just after North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire.
And China has repeatedly interfered with other countries' relationships with the Dalai Lama.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/africahaveyo ... frie.shtmlThe spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, has cancelled a trip to South Africa for the 80th birthday celebrations of fellow Nobel Peace laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama back in 1996
The South African government has denied it was under pressure from China to block the visit, though a visa for the trip was never issued.
But the archbishop has criticised the government for "kowtowing to Chinese pressure".
The Dalai Lama was welcomed into South Africa during Nelson Mandela's presidency, but more recently has been denied entry as relations between China and South Africa strengthened.
A joint statement by the Office for Tibet in South Africa and the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre described the treatment of the two Nobel Laureates as "profoundly disrespectful".
mrswdk wrote:- Economically bullied another country
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/ ... ng-tacticsMountains of Norwegian salmon left rotting at port. A beachfront resort in Palau abandoned before completion. A sluggish response to a devastating Philippine typhoon: crossing China's "red lines" can have painful economic consequences.
But experts say Beijing's tactical moves towards smaller countries risk backfiring against its broader strategy of building up its political and diplomatic status as a "major responsible country".
Beijing has sought to punish Norway since the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to jailed dissident and pro-democracy activist Liu Xiaobo - despite Oslo having no control over the prize committee's decisions. Strict new import controls left Norwegian salmon wasting away in Chinese warehouses, and its market share in the country, once 92 per cent, plummeted to 29 per cent last year.
A musical starring Norwegian 2009 Eurovision winner Alexander Rybak had its tour cancelled, and Norwegians are excluded from the mainland's 72-hour transit visa schemes.
"The 'bully boy' tactics China has adopted, especially with regard to small nations such as Norway … are typical of a passive-aggressive kind of personality," said Phil Mead, a British businessman who helps small Chinese companies in the European market.
Norway is far from the only country subjected to China's wrath. Beijing is embroiled in a South China Sea territorial row with Manila, and after Super Typhoon Haiyan struck last November - the most powerful recorded storm ever to make landfall - it initially offered the Philippines only US$100,000.
After strong criticism Beijing upped the amount to US$1.8 million and dispatched its Peace Ark hospital ship, but the response paled in comparison to Japan's US$30 million, the United States' US$20 million - and even some private companies.
"China lags Ikea in aid to the Philippines," one newspaper wrote, comparing Beijing's initial offer with US$2.7 million from the Swedish furniture chain's charitable foundation.
A year earlier, after a maritime stand-off, China suddenly imposed a raft of restrictions on banana imports from the Philippines, claiming it had found pests in shipments. Tonnes of fruit were left to rot at Chinese and Philippine ports, with losses estimated at US$23 million.
And in 2009, after the Pacific island nation of Palau announced it would accept six Uygur detainees released from America's Guantanamo Bay military prison and considered terrorists by Beijing, construction of a Chinese-backed, 100-room beachfront resort was abruptly halted.
Experts say the "red lines" that trigger such threats and retribution are limited to a tight set of very specific issues. They include relations with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama; criticism of China's leadership or human rights record; territorial disputes in the East and South China seas; Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province; and ethnic unrest Xinjiang , the western region home to the mostly Muslim Uygur minority.
"They have such a small, focused kind of interest, with the Dalai Lama visits in particular," said Dr James Reilly, professor of Northeast Asian politics at the University of Sydney, who has studied China's unilateral sanction use. "China's pretty unique in that regard."
Now, granted, those restrictions and embargoes were soon lifted, and it seems like China is at times just going through the motions on these kinds of economic actions, but they do occur.
Er, how about the Sino-Vietnamese War?
http://time.com/100417/china-vietnam-si ... china-sea/Official memories in Vietnam, however, are far more selective. While the country proudly celebrates its victorious wars against French and American forces, Hanoi remains largely quiet about the Sino-Vietnamese War. (China’s official stance is even more muted.) But that hasn’t kept the Vietnamese people from simmering with animosity toward their historic foe.
In the years following the U.S. withdrawal from Indochina, relations among the socialist nations of Southeast Asia violently deteriorated. Pogroms conducted against Vietnam’s ethnic Chinese community, and the overthrow by Vietnamese forces of Pol Pot — Beijing’s ally — set the stage for a showdown, as did Vietnam’s alliance with China’s great rival, the Soviet Union.
In the winter of 1978, when Deng Xiaoping made his threat of a “lesson,” more than 80,000 Chinese troops were sent across the border into Vietnam. Chinese Deputy Defense Minister Su Yu boasted of being able to take Hanoi in a week, but the untested and under-equipped People’s Liberation Army (PLA) met fierce resistance from battle-hardened Vietnamese forces deployed across the frontier’s limestone karsts. The Chinese were slaughtered by local militia from positions that had been utilized for centuries against invaders from the north.
“More Chinese soldiers were getting killed because they were fighting like it was the old times,” says Vietnamese veteran Nguyen Huu Hung, who witnessed the PLA’s human waves being mown down near the city of Lang Son. “They were in lines and just keep moving ahead … they didn’t run away.”
It would take just six weeks for Beijing to call off its “self-defensive counteroffensive.” Teaching the Vietnamese a lesson turned out to be a costly affair. Official casualty statistics have never been released by either Beijing or Hanoi; however, analysts have estimate that as many as 50,000 soldiers died during the confrontation.
“I heard that [China] said they wanted to teach Vietnam a lesson, but I can’t see what the lesson was,” says Hung. “Our job was to fight against them. But the losses, to be honest, were huge.”
When the Chinese began their pullout in early March, the retreating troops implemented a barbaric scorched-earth policy. Every standing structure in their path was destroyed. Any livestock they encountered were killed. Bitterness was sown.
Tibet?
http://mic.com/articles/10702/july-4-ar ... dependenceDespite being geographically, culturally and linguistically distinct from China, Tibet is still not recognized by the People’s “Republic” of China as a separate state. During the 1960s, between 200,000 and 1,000,000 people died in Tibet under Mao Zedong’s government. Separatist movements are not allowed. Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso removed himself from heading the care-taker Tibetian government in March 14th, 2011.
"The Dalai Lama office was an institution created to benefit others. It is possible that it will soon have outlived its usefulness,” he said.
Meanwhile, China has disapproved of these statements, like Tibetians’ rights for self-determination. Chinese authorities will select the new spiritual chief on behalf of the people.
mrswdk wrote:- Committed slavery or genocide
Wait, what? How about the Cultural Revolution?
http://www.history.com/topics/cultural-revolutionSome 1.5 million people were killed during the Cultural Revolution, and millions of others suffered imprisonment, seizure of property, torture or general humiliation. The Cultural Revolution’s short-term effects may have been felt mainly in China’s cities, but its long-term effects would impact the entire country for decades to come. Mao’s large-scale attack on the party and system he had created would eventually produce a result opposite to what he intended, leading many Chinese to lose faith in their government altogether.
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/modern ... lution.htmBetween 1966 and 1976, the young people of China rose up in an effort to purge the nation of the "Four Olds": old customs, old culture, old habits and old ideas.
In August, 1966, Mao Zedong called for the start of a Cultural Revolution at the Plenum of the Communist Central Committee. He urged the creation of corps of "Red Guards" to punish party officials and any other persons who showed bourgeois tendencies.
Mao likely was motivated to call for the so-called Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in order to rid the Chinese Communist Party of his opponents after the tragic failure of his Great Leap Forward policies. Mao knew that other party leaders were planning to marginalize him, so he appealed directly to his supporters among the people to join him in a Cultural Revolution. He also believed that communist revolution had to be a continuous process, in order to stave off capitalist-roader ideas.
Mao's call was answered by the students, some as young as elementary school, who organized themselves into the first groups of Red Guards.
They were joined later by workers and soldiers.
The first targets of the Red Guards included Buddhist temples, churches and mosques, which were razed to the ground or converted to other uses. Sacred texts, as well as Confucian writings, were burned, along with religious statues and other artwork. Any object associated with China's pre-revolutionary past was liable to be destroyed.
In their fervor, the Red Guards began to persecute people deemed "counter-revolutionary" or "bourgeois," as well. The Guards conducted so-called "struggle sessions," in which they heaped abuse and public humiliation upon people accused of capitalist thoughts (usually these were teachers, monks and other educated persons). These sessions often included physical violence, and many of the accused died or ended up being held in reeducation camps for years. According to the Mao's Last Revolution by Roderick MacFarquhar and Michael Schoenhals, almost 1,800 people were killed in Beijing alone in August and September of 1966.
By February, 1967, China had descended into chaos. The purges had reached the level of army generals who dared to speak out against the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, and Red Guards groups were turning against one another and fighting in the streets. Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, encouraged the Red Guards to raid arms from the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and even to replace the army entirely if necessary.
By December of 1968, even Mao realized that the Cultural Revolution was spinning out of control. China's economy, already weakened by the Great Leap Forward, was faltering badly. Industrial production fell by 12% in just two years. In reaction, Mao issued a call for the "Down to the Countryside Movement," in which young cadres from the city were sent to live on farms and learn from the peasants. Although he spun this idea as a tool for leveling society, in fact Mao sought to disperse the Red Guards across the country, so that they could not cause so much trouble anymore.
With the worst of the street violence over, the Cultural Revolution in the following six or seven years revolved primarily around struggles for power in the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party. By 1971, Mao and his second-in-command, Lin Biao, were trading assassination attempts against one another. On September 13, 1971, Lin and his family tried to fly to the Soviet Union, but their plane crashed. Officially, it ran out of fuel or had engine failure, but there is speculation that the plane was shot down either by Chinese or Soviet officials.
Mao was aging quickly, and his health was failing. One of the main players in the succession game was his wife, Jiang Qing. She and three cronies, called the "Gang of Four," controlled most of China's media, and railed against moderates such as the Deng Xiaoping (now rehabilitated after a stint in a reeducation camp) and Zhou Enlai. Although the politicians were still enthusiastic about purging their opponents, the Chinese people had lost their taste for the movement.
Zhou Enlai died in January of 1976, and popular grief over his death turned into demonstrations against the Gang of Four and even against Mao. In April, as many as 2 million people flooded Tiananmen Square for Zhou Enlai's memorial service - and the mourners publicly denounced Mao and Jiang Qing. That July, the Great Tangshan Earthquake accentuated the Communist Party's lack of leadership in the face of tragedy, further eroding public support. Jiang Qing even went on the radio to urge the people not to allow the earthquake to distract them from criticizing Deng Xiaoping.
Mao Zedong died on September 9, 1976. His hand-picked successor, Hua Guofeng, had the Gang of Four arrested. This signaled the end of the Cultural Revolution.
After-effects of the Cultural Revolution
For the entire decade of the Cultural Revolution, schools in China did not operate; this left an entire generation with no formal education. All of the educated and professional people had been targets for reeducation. Those that hadn't been killed were dispersed across the countryside, toiling on farms or working in labor camps.
All sorts of antiquities and artifacts were taken from museums and private homes; they were destroyed as symbols of "old thinking." Priceless historical and religious texts also were burned to ashes.
The exact number of people killed during the Cultural Revolution is unknown, but it was at least in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. Many of the victims of public humiliation committed suicide, as well. Members of ethnic and religious minorities suffered disproportionately, including Tibetan Buddhists, Hui people and Mongolians.
Terrible mistakes and brutal violence mar the history of Communist China. The Cultural Revolution is among the worst of these incidents, not only because of the horrific human suffering inflicted, but also because so many remnants of that country's great and ancient culture were willfully destroyed.
No country on earth is exempt from behaving badly. Yes, the West's hands are bloody, but so too are China's.