China was subjected to an onslaught of international criticism on policies ranging from human rights to currency reform as it was pressed this week to live up to its burgeoning superpower status and show greater social and financial responsibility.
The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to political prisoner Liu Xiaobo was the most high-profile rebuke as President Barack Obama yesterday acknowledged the Chinese dissident’s plight by demanding his immediate release. Meantime, finance chiefs from Canada to Europe urged the country to allow faster gains in the yuan. It also drew U.S. barbs for its record on global warming.
The criticisms were rejected by Chinese leaders intent on making their own way in the world as they oversee their nation’s transformation from Communist isolation to the globe’s second largest economy and biggest consumer for automobiles and copper. The result may be even greater tension and remonstrations as next month’s Group of 20 summit in Seoul.
“The bottom line is China is growing up faster than it wants to,” said Charles Freeman, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and a former U.S. trade official with responsibility for China. “The rest of the world wants to treat it as a significant power, but China doesn’t want that and prefers to focus on its domestic development.”
No comments:
Post a Comment