The Idiosyncratic Chinese-Muslim Interconnection
On December 12, 2022, the Russian government owned international television network RT posted an article by Bradley Blankenship: “China’s No-String Attached Partnership Is A Win-Win Arrangement For Saudi Arabia.” Gushing over “China’s policy of strict non-interference in the affairs of other countries,” the author points out that unlike the United States of America China has managed to pursue simultaneously “fruitful economic cooperation” with both Shi’a Iran and the Sunni Gulf monarchies. Slavishly parroting a Chinese Foreign Ministry’s communique, the article quotes a Five Point Security Initiative on achieving security and stability in the Middle East. These include the worn out gelatinously hubristic and fallacious pseudo-principles of mutual respect, upholding equity and justice, achieving nuclear non-proliferation, jointly fostering collective security and accelerating development cooperation. Stating that this initiative was “warmly greeted” by all the countries in the region, the author contrasts it with the United State of America’s Iraq war that, according to him, was launched unilaterally and “under false pretenses.”
Before the Gulf monarchies and the rest of the world begin to uncritically believe in Blankenship’s laudatory nonsense, it would be wise to look at the real nature of China’s political regime as well as the history of Beijing’s engagements with other countries in the past and the present. Established on October 1, 1949, following a brutal Civil War between Mao Zedong’s victorious Communist army and Chiang Kai-shek’s defeated nationalist Kuomintang, the former’s bloody “Marxist” tyranny has been from its inception a diabolically bipolar political, economic, moral and cultural monster. Mao’s stated objective was the creation of a peasant dictatorship cum Marxist paradise in China and subsequently its export across the globe. Yet, history tells a different story. Domestically, Mao and his Communist Party successfully re-established the personality cult based antediluvian tyrannical ideology of Imperial China. However, internationally China remained a third rate barely developing country because ideology killed economic prosperity. Accordingly, China’s foreign policy was characterized by its underhanded ambivalence. While maintaining its lofty universal goals, Chinese foreign policy served almost exclusively national interests. After Mao’s death in 1976, the Janus-faced duplicity of Chinese foreign policy, simultaneously being strongly national as well as ambitiously international, has been developing rapidly into an imperialistic cum colonial oppression. In Asia, China has quickly assumed the role of a ruthless bully. In the European continent, economic and financial penetration has been aimed at eroding the close relationship between the United States of America and the European Union. In Central and South America, the strategy has corrupted the leaders of weak dictatorships and unstable governments. In Africa, it has amounted to the ruthless exploitation of natural resources through the enslavement of extremely cheap labor.
Today, in spite of unquestionably impressive economic and financial developments during the last half century, President Xi Jinping’s foreign policy has remained determinedly chauvinistic. More generally, China’s bilateral as well as multilateral relationships have been based on predatorily unequal partnerships. Accordingly, President Xi Jinping’s China is not searching for allies, but only for vassals. From the Chinese perspective, the summit arranged recently in Riyadh between the Chinese President and the monarchs of the Gulf Consultative Council (GCC) was designed to render the oil as well as gas rich monarchies dependent on the Chinese market and addicted to its financial prowess. As in other parts of the world, the media across the GCC did not let the truth get in the way of sensational stories. Calling the visit, the summit and the joint statement historic, Al Arabiya, The National and other leading local publications have displayed unreserved enthusiasm over the political and economic importance of enhanced cooperation among the countries involved.
Throughout President Xi’s three day visit, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and now also Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman al Saud played his cards very close to his chest. Agreeing with his Chinese partner about the importance of further developing commercial ties, the Crown Prince left no doubt about the preeminent status of American-Saudi relations as far as security matters and his country’s future prosperity are concerned. Understandably, the Crown Prince and his other royal colleagues are aware of the significant political and economic weaknesses of the People’s Republic of China. President Xi’s recent power grab might end in catastrophic political and economic disarray because of his penchant for refusal to face realities, such as his irrational nationwide COVID lockdown. The looming danger is President Xi’s belief that he is exclusively anointed to enable China to live up to his self-defined imperial destiny. This is an oversized quest that could easily end in a catastrophic failure for China and a painful personal defeat for himself.
Thus, the perils of China’s current course in domestic and foreign policies are obvious. Imperial ambitions, coupled with China’s objective of a “new world order,” are driven by the same ideological zeal that fueled Mao’s failed development concept. Also, the objective is the same – to possess exclusively the military, economic, financial, technological and scientific means to bring about the annihilation of the existing rule-based international order. The results of the one state one man reign across the globe would be devastating for the sovereignty and the unencumbered development of every country on earth.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Newslooks.com
China – Chinese – Muslim – Russia – Uyghur- Shi’a Iran
