Beijing ‘is seeking peace’: Xi wants partnership with US rather than war – expert

China is being honest when it extends an olive branch to the US in saying the two countries should cooperate rather than go to war, an expert says.

But a Chinese diplomat believes that is not guaranteed to happen.

Prof John Stremlau, an international relations analyst and a specialist on US foreign policy at Wits University, said the views expressed by Chinese ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng are in line with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s attempt to woo the US into a partnership with Beijing.

China attempts to woo US

Stremlau said Xi was seeking a partnership with the US rather than war.

“Xi Jinping is now looking for partnership with the US. What their ambassador is saying is not surprising at all,” Stremlau said.

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Wu told delegates at a conference on geopolitics organised by Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection that China and the US should coordinate and cooperate as long as both sides show mutual respect, through peaceful coexistence, for win-win results.

“China and US relations will get better,” Wu said.

The envoy said Chinese people want a better life not war and hence China had no history of expansion into other countries.

Chinese people want better life not war

“The Chinese culture values peace and the Chinese nation has no tradition of external expansion. China, in recent history, once a victim of foreign power bullying, knows full well the value of peace and the hard-won gains of development,” said Wu.

“Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, we have never initiated a war or occupied an inch of foreign land.

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“China stays committed to the path of peaceful development and never seeks to challenge or replace anyone. Chinese people just want to enjoy a better life.”

He said that the trends towards multipolarity and globalisation are unstoppable. Achieving an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation serves all humanity.

As China’s goal was to achieve peace and stability in the world, Xi has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future in projects like the Belt and Road Initiative.

Peace and stability in the world

“These initiatives have provided Chinese wisdom and strength for promoting world peace and security and tackling the common challenges of humanity.

“In the course of seeking its own development, China has kept generating new opportunities for the world,” Wu said.

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He said recently the Communist Party of China’s central committee resolved to deepen economic reform to advance Chinese modernisation.

This entailed advancing high standards, opening up and promoting alignment with international economic and trade rules and fostering a first-rate market-oriented business environment that is law-based and internationalised for foreign investment and trade.

“Chinese modernisation will contribute robustly to world peace and stability, to the common development for all, and to the advancement of human civilisation,” Wu said.

Chinese modernisation

He said China was accelerating the implementation of measures agreed to at the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to import more African agricultural exports. This has resulted in 21 tons of SA avocados entering the Chinese market for the first time.

Wu added: “Supporting Africa’s development is a shared responsibility of the international community.

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“China’s cooperation with Africa has been rooted in openness and inclusiveness.

“We welcome all partners of Africa to increase their investment in the continent and we encourage diversification of partnerships, including with the US.”

Stremlau said the Chinese president was a friend to Africa and especially South Africa.

China president a friend to Africa, South Africa

In a journal article titled US, Russia, China and Africa in the Evolving Global Order, political analyst and director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg Prof David Monyae said Africa is not obliged to “pick sides” in the ensuing China and Russia versus the US competition.

Rather Africa should avoid a repeat of Cold War-style advocacy, as this could lead to a massive loss of opportunities.

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“Each of the three powers has specific benefits to offer and policy formation should be based on long-term African goals as opposed to only historical links.”