From Concocting 'Theory of Threat' to Dishing up 'Theory of Collapse'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, June 17, 2002

From Concocting 'Theory of Threat' to Dishing up 'Theory of Collapse'

After the dawn of the new century, the "theory of China collapse" emerged in the world after the so-called "theory of China threat". Some Western media vied with each other to find explanatory notes for it, presenting the trend of spread.

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In the early 1990s, there appeared in the West a so-called "theory of China threat" of no small momentum, threat in the aspects of civilization, order, food, military and so on and so forth. After the dawn of the new century, the "theory of China collapse" emerged in the world. Some Western media vied with each other to find explanatory notes for it, presenting the trend of spread.

The recent "theory of China collapse" appeared in the West runs in the same line as that of the "theory of China threat" that emerged in the early 1990s and the ensuing "theory of unimportant China".

Obviously, the "theory of China threat" is intended to deteriorate China's international environment and restrain its development. This argument not only affects the formulation of policies toward China by the United States and other Western countries, but also has extended to some neighbors of China. Some people in these countries are facing China's development with a mindset of doubt and fear. This abnormal psyche has exerted adverse effects on these nations' development of normal bilateral relations with China.

Facts have proved that far from bringing threat to the world, China's advancement has made contributions to the development and stability of the Asian region and the whole world. When China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its win in the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games have brought greater space for China's development, when China's advancement has brought more opportunities for the world's development, the vast land of China featuring the "landscape here is beyond compare" has attracted more and more international capital.

With the evolution of the international situation and the enhancement of China's national strength, those deliberate slanders against China have not disappeared from the scene. Thereupon, the "theory of China collapse" has lost no time to make its appearance.

The main manifestation of this argument is to query the truthfulness of China's economic growth, alleging that China's statistics are actually "making false accounts". Western media's concern over this question has reached a "general and fervent" extent, "newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations have, like a swarm of bees, vied with one another to report the matter. As a matter of fact, questioning China's economic prosperity and predicting the collapse of China has seemed to become a vogue in the West. This argument is not only prevalent in Western countries, there are also people in China's neighbors who, unwilling to keep themselves mute, have echoed that argument.

There are approximately three reasons for the rage of the "theory of China collapse": First, the continuation and evil effects of the Cold War mentality, some Westerners cherish deep-rooted doubt and misgiving about and exclusion of China. Second, some Westerners hold that when China, the largest developing country in the world, is meeting the challenge brought by its accession to the WTO, it is unavoidable that problems of one kind or another will crop up. Third, some Western personages are doing their level best to defend the correctness of the theory on the "advantage of democracy", they do not want to see the progress and success of a "non-democratic" China.

The aim of advertising the "theory of China collapse" seems to be cut out of the same cloth as the aim of propagating the "theory of China threat", that is, to deteriorate China's international environment, retard China's development and curb its rise.

China is the largest developing country in the world, its development and progress need the efforts of its own people as well as a favorable international environment. China's progress and prosperity will bring benefits not only to the Chinese people who make up one-fifth of the world population, but also to the world as a whole. In this sense, so long as one discards prejudice, one will be able to correctly approach China's development and will have no difficulty to see the tremendous contributions China has made to the world.

This commentary, written by Liu Xiaobiao, was published on page 3 of People's Daily June 11.

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