Official: Will Fast Economic Growth Lead to External Expansion?

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Official: Will Fast Economic Growth Lead to External Expansion?

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Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen recently pointed out that it is totally groundless for some people, eyeing China's rapid economic growth, to fabricate "China Threat" theory by saying China will develop into an expansionist country.

"Such a view sounds as if China would throw the world into utter disorder once it grew strong," said the vice-premier and also a veteran diplomat.

Qian added that it is utterly untenable to compare what Western imperialist countries did in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries with today's China, thinking that China is bound to expand and threaten its neighbors with a stronger national prowess.

These remarks of Qian's were published on the "Studies of International Politics", issue No.1 2002, a public academic quarterly operated by the School of International Studies under Peking University, for which Qian acts as dean.

"Historically, there were indeed countries which engaged in external expansion as a result of the speedy economic growth, but it can't be said that all big countries will run on the same track once they experience a relatively fast economic growth," Qian said.

"High-speed economic surge will not bring expansion automatically."

First, not all external expansions are caused by fast economic increase.

In human history, some countries, though not on a fast track of economic growth and industrialization process, and with comparatively backward productivity, showed great expansionist ambition, like France in Napoleon times and Russia under the Tsarist reign.

What's more, countries plagued by economic crisis would possibly embarked on the road of imperialist expansionism, like Nazi Germany in the 1930s and Japanese militarism before and during World War II.

Second, rapid economic growth may not necessarily leads to expansion, like Germany and Japan after World War II.

"It is thus clear that linking rapid economic growth with external expansion simply by a superficial cause-effect reasoning will make it possible to come to a one-sided, or even extreme view".

Then the Vice-Premier referred, as an example of China's constructive role with its economic growth, to the impetus China, after starting its reform-and-opening-up process in the late 1970s, has given to the economic development of the neighboring countries and regions and how, after the eruption of the Asian financial crisis, the responsible practice by Chinese government has helped crisis-afflicted countries to recuperate their economies.

All these facts show China's rapid economic growth has brought new opportunities instead of obstructing and harming the development of its neighboring economies, Qian said.

Qian gave a vivid metaphor: "China's economic prosperity does not mean taking away neighbors' rice bowls, but enlarging their kitchens, which is to their benefit".

Primier Qian cited more examples by saying China has solved the boundary issues with Kazakhstan and Kirghizstan, signed boundary treaty with Tadzhikistan, demarcated most boundary lines with Russia and signed land boundary treaty with Vietnam and signed the Beibu Bay demarcation agreement.

Qian emphasized that "All these were accomplished in the past few years. This also shows that China, which enjoys rapid economic growth, has neither engaged in external expansion, nor seek to do so, instead, it has devoted its efforts to living in peace its neighbors".

Qian further pointed out that for China, the primary task is to concentrate on economic development. Economic growth requires stable international and domestic markets, it is all the more necessary to have good surrounding and international environments. Only by devoting to good neighborliness and friendship and maintaining mutually beneficial cooperation with various countries around the world, can China get the necessary external conditions for domestic construction. "China's rise requires it to follow the road of peaceful development, that is where China's fundamental interests lie, as well as its basic, long-term national policy, which will never be shaken".

With regard to the Taiwan issue and Tibet issue with which a row was kicked up in the West, Qian said they are questions concerning China's national reunification, as well as defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity, it is not at all questions of external expansion.

Qian said in conclusion, China's overall national strength has witnessed obvious growth, but we must have a sober understanding of this. In many fields, China is still rather backward: The degree of its modernization is still relatively low as a whole, there are still tens of millions of people who have not yet solved the problem of feeding and clothing themselves, and the national education level is comparatively low. "So we don't have the capital for expansion, and the nature of China's socialism determines that it will not and does not need to go in for external expansion. Developing mutually beneficial cooperation on an equal footing with other countries and following the road to common development conforms to the trends of the times and is the only fundamental way to the defense of national interests."

By PD Online Staff Member Li Heng

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