Interesting World

While situations of the European debt crisis are becoming more and more serious, developing nations, such as China, are increasing its presence in the international societies. In both international conferences held in Brazil and Mexico, the expectations for these developing countries to offer financial supports to increase the liquidity of the international societies seemed really high. As the developed countries’ economic hardship which started after the US’s Lehman’s fall still continues, the international societal order has been gradually and firmly changing. Particularly, rapid growth of China both economically and militarily not only worries the East Asian and Pacific region, but also it threatens the U.S. interests in the region. As many of scholars call 21^st Century as the “Asian Year,” many incidents have happened in the region, particularly China-related issues, interests me greatly.

“China is going to subsidize $6 million to other developing countries in order to provide technologies and human resources for the prevention of desertification. Also, we will provide facilities for the prevention of forest land.” Friday June 20, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao announced this during his speech at the Rio+20 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition, Prime Minister Wen promised to provide 200 million yuan (about $ 31.5 million) in order to support Africa and other Least among Less Developed Countries’ climate control programs. While the amount of money is not the greatest amount, China emphasizes its support as the south-south cooperation among the other developing countries. Moreover, according to Asahi Shimbun (one of the major Japanese paper companies), Prime Minister Wen hosted an unofficial assembly with European ministers for the environment. During the assembly, Prime Minister Wen emphasized China’s position as a developing country by saying “my country cannot do anything without improving the job situations and level of living for the population of 1.3 billion.” As China often describes itself as “the biggest developing country”, China has been asking developed countries for financial and technological supports in order to improve its environmental conservation programs and continue its growth rate at the same time. Adversely, in the middle of European countries’ severe economic crisis, China has been increasing its number of supports recently.

While China, in a sense positively increases its presence in the international society, its expansion of the power generates instability in the East Asian and Pacific region. When the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his group recently visited the region, Panetta showed his concerns in terms of U.S. interests in the region and its ally’s security issues due to China’s expanding power. This clearly shows that “the biggest developing country’s” rapid increase of its military capacity destabilizes the regional politics.

On June 24^th, Philippine authorities of countermeasures against disaster announced that Philippine fishing boat sank after it got hit by a Chinese-ship-like boat in the South China Sea. As a result of the accident, one of the crews died and four went missing. (Philippines relations with China have been really tense and strained over Chinese claims on the Spartly Islands in the South China Sea.) After Philippine authorities tried to clamp down a Chinese fishing-ship near the Spartly Island in April, the tensions between the two nations increased and there are some opinions in China to take some military operation against Philippines. Similarly, in September 2010, a Chinese fishing boat crashed into a Japanese patrol ship near the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa prefecture, territory Japan claims as its own. After the incident, on April 16 2012, Ishihara Shintaro, the governor of Tokyo, said that the Tokyo Metropolitan government is planning to buy some of the Senkaku Islands. This may cause another debate and lead to another international incident in the region.

While “the biggest developing country” rapidly increases its influence economically and militarily in the international society, the power balance which was established over the course of history in the last 50 years is gradually and firmly changing. Particularly, in terms of China’s military expansion in the region, since the U.S. has many of its allies in the East Asia and Pacific region, its foreign policy toward the region draws a lot of international attention. I am excited to continue to pay a closer attention to the region and how the region will transform itself as a result of the gradual changes.