中文
Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee speaks at the Munich Security Conference, Munich, Germany, February 18, 2023. [Photo/Chinese Foreign Ministry]
By William Jones
The presence of Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, at the Munich Security Conference last Saturday had prevented it from becoming a full mobilization by the Western powers to support an ill-begotten war in Ukraine. Nearly all speakers tried to outdo each others' commitment to encourage more deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, along with proclaiming "greater resolve" to defeat Russian forces. The Munich event could best be characterized as the embodiment of mass hysteria, except for the clear voice from the Chinese side.
Wang Yi reaffirmed that China from the beginning of the Russian military operation one year ago stood firm on bringing about a peaceful resolution to the crisis and hasn't wavered from it. Indeed, the crisis could have been averted had the West spoken directly with Russia to address Moscow's prior concerns over Ukraine potentially becoming a new NATO member state, since the country lies on its border. Russia also had ongoing concerns over allegations of brutal suppression of the largely Russian-speaking provinces in eastern Ukraine.
As the German strategist Carl Von Clausewitz wrote, war is as continuation of politics by other means. And it's only when "politics," and diplomacy, are rejected, that war emerges. Russia's concerns over NATO expansion was made evident by Russian President Vladimir Putin when he addressed the same Munich conference in 2007 as he warned about the dangers of creating a "unipolar world," in which Anglo-American elites had determined the "rules" according to which the world must operate.
Wang Yi's speech had averted a unified war cry. Meanwhile, organizers had broadened the participants to include representatives from developing countries, which gave a breath of fresh air. They did not do this, however in order to curb the belligerent tone of the event. Proponents of the "unipolar world" realize that the countries of the developing sector have suffered greatly under the present Western-dominated "rules-based order."
Accordingly, they must persuade them that this "unipolar world order" would take into consideration their interests, in spite of their past track records. The developing nations stood the most responsive to Wang Yi. They see greater benefits in a multipolar world, since nations with different systems can collaborate better for the common good.
Wang Yi criticized those still intent on continuing the war. Among European nations, there's a growing war-weariness, as well as major demonstrations in France and Germany as more people are suffering the terrible economic effects from robust war-spending, including the long-term loss of the Nord Stream pipeline for Germany, sabotaged in all likelihood, by their "ally," the United States.
While the Munich event was choreographed to demonstrate "unity" among NATO countries, it could prove to be a mile wide and an inch deep. As the war goes on, more Western countries could heed China's call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Wang Yi was also asked about the recent rupture in China-U.S. relations over the shooting down of the Chinese balloon. He condemned the "hysteria" by the United States over a balloon that had accidentally blown off course and flew into U.S. airspace. The U.S. had shot down other benign flying objects after the incident, which has caused much embarrassment for the Joe Biden Administration.
Wang Yi said the U.S. "hype" over the incident was intended to distract attention away from domestic issues, such as revelations by journalist Seymour Hersh over direct U.S. involvement in the sabotage of Nord Stream 2. Apparently, it's a sign of U.S. weakness rather than strength, as well as a clear sign that their attempt to divide the world into "ideological camps" is encountering much resistance across the globe.
William Jones is a former White House correspondent for Executive Intelligence Review and a non-resident fellow of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China.
