This recent article in the Wall Street Journal explains Pakistan’s actions in turning to “strong ally and friend” China for financial help. Pakistan’s near bankrupt country has been hit hard by the recent global financial crisis and is now reaching out to other countries including China (as aforementioned), Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. It is interesting to see that Pakistan, considered an important American ally, has not whole-heartedly sought after the United States for such financial help. Pakistan’s ties with the U.S. certainly remain “fraught with tension” but is Pakistan’s reaching out to China, rather than the United States for help, a sign of the times to come? The president of Pakistan is quoted on saying simply, “China is the future of the world.” The question raised here is, with China quickly rising to a world power, if not the strongest world power, what will be the fate of the United States in terms of global impact? Will we take a second seat to China and lose industry as a result, or will something be done to help support and stabilize America as the world’s most powerful country? With China suspect to helping Pakistan recently develop nuclear weapons, what kind of world will we be living in with China as the new superpower?
Here is the link
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122400985382133155.html
6 comments:
I think the reason Pakistan is aligning with China is because the United States has recently aligned itself wholeheartedly with India. We have run military operations together and worked together diplomatically. So when Pakistan see’s us working with a rival country so close to them they need to diplomatically counteract by working with a country like China. I think Pakistan is really in a no lose situation because they gain support from China while making us feel like we have to strengthen ties with them and maybe give them equal support. I don’t think China will look to Pakistan as a new ally if it becomes a superpower, because of their relative inferiority to a country like India; in the end they are merely holding up the Pakistani economy, not fortifying a future power ally. Still this might leave room for future diplomatic action like setting up missile bases in Pakistan, and if Pakistan does develop a viable nuclear program they would have to be recognized more by the world community.
I dont know too much about the details in the relationship about China, the US and Pakistan, but from the sounds of the article is apepars that China seems eager to assert itself as a global power. One step towards gaining recognition as a legitimate world power would be lending aid to "an ally" in Pakistan. (Another might be hosting the Olympics). As China's current status, they are clearly an economic superpower, with huge industryin many segments of the market. The US is clearly at a low point in the economy right now, so perhaps Pakistan is relying on China a little more because their economy is in better shape and they have worked together in the past.
As said in the article, the Pakistinian president did try to reach out to the US several times, but to the dismay of his citizens. I think they have an agreement with China now because the president didn't want to upset his citizens by making a pact with the United States. The US is a terrible time for the economy, but I don't feel like China will pass America as the top nation. America has too great an influence on the rest of the world, and I would think that China would have a bad reputation with the rest of world if they are helping lesser countries devolop nuclear weapons. So in the longrun, I do not see China passing the United States as the worlds strongest country.
I do not think the US is in grave danger of being completely overtaken by China in the near future. Although China is rising in the world, the US is still a strong superpower. Even with the recent economic crisis I doubt the US will lose it's standing as a world superpower. China may offer us competition but will not force us out of the picture. Also in regards to China helping Pakistan develop nuclear weapons, I think the US has more influence with other top countries than China does. If the US refuses to deal with Pakistan because of its nuclear weapons and encourages other countries to do the same, it can actually make an impact.
So far on this thread, I am seeing many theories about why Pakistan would ask China for aid, such as dismay over the United States' close involvement in Indian affairs, Pakistan's nuclear program, and the Pakistani public's perception of the United States. However, I tend to believe Mr. Zardari's reasoning for requesting Chinese aid is much more simplistic and obvious: China simply has a lot of money / spending power.
The country faces economic collapse, and has already asked for relief from several economic powerhouses (i.e. USA, Saudi Arabia, UK). In such a dire situation, it would not make sense to NOT ask the largest country in the world. As the article states ("The Asian giant's foreign-exchange reserves are the world's largest, at $1.9 trillion"), it is clear that China has money to spare, so why not ask for aid? And of course the Pakistan's leader would pander to China, calling the nation the "future of the world". If you needed a large sum of cash, wouldn't you also attempt to flatter and compliment the individual capable of lending that money? Pakistan is not trying to make some sort of statement about the United States' position in the world; they are simply giving compliments in an attempt to convince China into donating to the Pakistani economy.
And despite the Pakistani public's negative perception about the United States, the last paragraph of the article states that the leader nonetheless fully supports the US in order to continue receiving American aid, which definitely suggests that the leaders are only thinking of money, regardless of the source or consequences.
In concluding this blog post, I would like to answer the questions I raised in my original post. The fact of the matter is China is the new world's superpower, whether American citizens can accept it or not. However, this is purely based on economic grounds. The United States global presence is just as strong as it has ever been. However, I believe China's rise to global power may have detrimental impacts on western societie's beliefs of democracy and freedom. The only reason so many foreign countries invest in China (namely buying their exports) is due to its ability to produce mass quantities of items at very low costs. This is achieved by very cheap labor. The average minimum wage across the country is barely 1 american dollar an hour! Words such as "freedom" and "democracy" have been banned from Chinese affialiated websites. The government does not allow its citizens the many privelages Americans experience, such as freedom of speech. In simple terms, Chinese citizens are not guaranteed the same "unalienable rights" we are, and this is a shame. I agree with the last blog in that Pakistan's call for help to China is motivated purely by money. However, let's hope that countries do not start emulating the poor conditions of China to achieve the same economic growth.
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