Former French diplomat says no to "China
threat"
May 15, 2009
Former French diplomat Lionel Vairon，who is known for his
book Threat of China? ? among the Chinese citizens, has
shared his views about China that are different from mainstream
views held by western people in an online interview with the
Qiangguo Forum (Strong China Forum) of People's Daily Online on May
14, 2009.
Below is an excerpt of the interview:
China does not pose any threat to the west
Q: As to the understanding of the relationship between China and
the west, do you have any views different from the so-called
mainstream views of people from the west? Since you have reached
different conclusions, can you explain the reasons behind your
viewpoints?
Lionel Vairon's book Threat of China? has been published in China
recently.
Lionel Vairon: I have expressed in my book that my viewpoints are
perhaps different from mainstream views held by western people. The
main difference lies in the opinion held by the westerners toward
the extent of the China threat theory. Some issues involving
realities make western people anxious. For westerners, they do not
know how to evaluate and appraise both peril and potential threat
relating to China, so they feel nervous. Therefore, I think that
since we spent a lot of time in China, we find that China does not
in fact pose any threat to the west. The key is that people living
in Europe will have different opinions about China's military and
economic development. However, if one often visits China, they will
discover that this sort of view has been exaggerated to the concept
of “China Threat.”
Q: Why are some
countries suspicious of China's rising power?
Vairon: I have two thoughts on this issue. The first is from a
common foreigner's point of view. For common foreigners, they feel
threatened because China has a large population. There are Chinese
people everywhere overseas. We see Chinese people traveling and
studying everywhere in the world. This visual picture creates a
sense of “threat.” We can see Chinese people in Africa, Europe, all
over, so it seems that this has created fear. This is the feeling
of common foreigners. They feel nervous when they see Chinese
people everywhere. This is a very popular view.
The second answer is linked to the first one. Because there are so
many Chinese people, they cannot find jobs at home, and therefore
they go abroad for opportunities. Foreigners feel the Chinese
people who go overseas are taking their employment
opportunities.
Common foreigners think of Chinese people as a threat also
because they think that China is still a communist country, and
they fear this very much. Many foreigners have not been to China,
they have no idea what China's development in the past 30 years was
like, neither are they familiar with the "Cultural Revolution" in
China or the reforms made to China's systems. It is because
foreigners are afraid of the word “communism.” Whenever “communism”
is mentioned, the word reminds them of the former Soviet Union and
Cuba, nations ruled by dictators.
Therefore, they believe China is also a communist nation and
that is the reason why they hold this kind of shortsighted view. To
tell the truth, such views are very deep-rooted. Ninety percent of
French people, when they see China on the Internet, would regard
China as a communist nation, a nation ruled by a dictator. This is
the universal and direct feelings of the French citizens.
Their lack of understanding leads to their fear of China. People
fear things that they do not know very well, especially when those
things are everywhere. The French feel threatened when they see
Chinese people, Chinese culture and tourists from China everywhere.
This is the perception of French citizens.
Now let us talk about the western governments' views toward Chinese
people, mainly from two aspects, economic perspective and that of
long-term strategy. With regards to the economy, the western
governments think a rising China is both an opportunity and a
threat to them.
In terms of opportunity, many enterprises from western countries
have earned a great deal of money in China, representing an
opportunity for them. Enterprises from Africa, Latin America and
other countries in competition with Chinese enterprises lost rather
than earned money, and therefore for these enterprises China
represents a threat and a cause for their losses. Generally
speaking, there is equilibrium in certain situations.
But, of course, in other situations, it can be unbalanced.
European enterprises have lost some contracts in the African market
in the last three to four years, particularly those related to
building and infrastructure. Because of the loss in Africa of their
traditional interests, naturally China is a sore point.
Therefore, to some westerners, China's economic rise represents
a significant threat. Moreover, the fact that Chinese businesses
are gradually moving overseas to compete against them and seize
markets have caused fear, as it may lead to increased unemployment
for domestic workers.
In fact, the aforementioned economic rise has some objective
reasoning. What I would like to talk about now is the subjective
consciousness of people. Western politicians blame China for the
recession in the west and other related problems, and this is just
a type of subjective understanding.
From a strategic point of view, what are their views on China? Of
course, this question also has its subjective and objective
aspects. Objectively, China's military, economic and political rise
is a factor that western leaders, and especially European leaders,
must consider. European leaders fear that China's rise may cause a
chain reaction that in turn could bring about the rise of other
Asian countries, constituting a larger threat to them.
Even in Asia itself, controversies and disputes already exist
between China and India, China and Japan, and China and other
southeastern Asian countries. They fear that if these controversies
explode, a state of instability may ensue. Europeans do not have
these concerns.
For example, the French do not worry about a possible invasion
of Paris by China's military forces, but about the intensification
of conflict between China and Japan. In other words, they are
afraid of conflicts occurring within Asia. Once such conflict
occurs, European countries will be involved in a state of
instability. This is an objective worry. They worry about how India
and Japan will react in the future.
China's rising military strength is the cause for significant
concern for US citizens. For US citizens, the development of
China's military strength is the biggest and most immediate threat,
since it will directly affect the hegemonic status of the US. This
concern is different from that faced by Europeans, who have never
held the hegemonic position. Therefore, US citizens worry more
about China's military rise to power than Europeans.
From a subjective standpoint, western people consider China's rise
to power to be an international issue. In fact, China's current
rise to power is simply regional. If we insist on the view that
China is undergoing a global rise, we should consider the fact that
the west has always been the international front-runner over the
past 400 years, with leading positions in respect to politics,
culture and military.
During these 400 years, the west has dominated the world's
concept of right and wrong. With China's current rise to power,
since China is neither a Christian country nor a country that has
the same system as the west, if China wants to say “I am not
happy,” western countries will have no way to deal with the
situation.
However, Chinese people are seeking a political influence,
something which has never been achieved by Japan. Japan is merely a
power in terms of the economy, and has not yet met its goal to be a
political power. Over the past 400 years, western people have not
been used to the ascent of a non-western country that has some
impact on the world. It will be very hard for western people to
accept it psychologically.
How do China build a better image?
Q: From the perspective of the government's behavior as well as
from a technical angle, what should China do to build a better
image?
Vairon: Firstly, China's rise and rapid development makes
foreigners extremely fearful of nationalism. There also lies a
historical reason. China was controlled by foreign countries in one
aspect or another for nearly a century. Therefore, common
foreigners are now afraid that the Chinese people will resort to
retaliation because China has become stronger. Overly strong
nationalism should be avoided.
Secondly, as Chinese enterprises that expand overseas have not had
much experience in surviving in the international market, they
should gradually learn how to work with their foreign partners and
how to rapidly develop abroad. To a great extent, their behaviors
and actions represent the image of China.
Many businesses invest in Africa and make great
contributions to Africa and Latin America. But there are also some
Chinese companies that have caused negative influence on China due
to their inappropriate acts overseas. Chinese enterprises should
know the relations between their behaviors and China's image, as
well as what they should and should not do. These kinds of
relations are the most useful as Chinese companies' behaviors have
a major impact on China's image. Chinese enterprises are an
important carrier to present the image of China.
Thirdly, the Chinese government needs to adapt to the different
forms of exchanges with the outside world. From an interaction
standpoint, we might adopt different ways of exchanges between
Chinese and Japanese people than those with Americans and
Europeans. This is because interactions are greatly dependent on
culture and ways of thinking. For example, the idea of a
“harmonious society” is purely a concept of Chinese tradition and
Confucianism. The idea of “harmony” is extremely important for
Chinese people and human beings.
However, foreigners do not understand “harmony” as a
“harmonious society” and it has no origins and bearing with their
cultures. As a result, we need to locate a bridge in between and
explain this Chinese concept to foreigners. Translation alone is
not enough because the idea embodies many layers of cultural
meanings.
On China-France ties
Q: The friendship between China and France has enjoyed a
time-honored history, but it has gone off course since the Sarkozy
administration took office. Since then, what conflicts of interest
do you foresee between the French and the Chinese?
Vairon: Firstly, the nature of democracy in the Parliament of
France should be understood clearly. We elect the French president
every five years via voting by all citizens. The candidates in the
running for French president are constantly changing, but the
voting citizens never change, therefore, the two groups should be
viewed separately.
The government and the president will always have their
political intentions, however, it is certain that the French
citizens will not change their views suddenly just because of a
particular government or a particular president.
For example, when President Jacques Chirac and President
Francois Mitterrand were in office, the French and the Chinese
people got along very well, and certainly, they still maintain a
good relationship today. Political issue is nothing but political
issue and it has no connection with the relationship among people
between the two nations. As far as I am concerned, I never worry
that the friendship between China and France would change. I am not
worried about this because the friendship between the French and
the Chinese people is deep and profound.
Secondly, I would like to go back to the history we talked about
before. Since 1964 till now, we have maintained quite a good
relationship. Maybe in 1840 we did not get along very well with
each other. Certainly, relationships can often change. However, the
citizens would never change and only the political world may have
certain issues. It is certain that the feelings of the citizens may
be influenced by media at times, but only a small part of them. The
basis of the friendship between China and France is vigorous and
long-lasting.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90780/91342/6658414.html