The expanding Chinese empire

Bill Emmott writes in The Times on the growth of Chinese influence and the tensions that engenders, especially with India. In particular he notes the growth of the Chinese navy and the efforts by China to build port facilities in a variety of foreign locations. he begines:-

A Victorian historian said that Britain “conquered… half the world in a fit of absence of mind”.

Chinese Communist Party leaders are not normally associated with absentmindedness, but rather with cool, calculated, long-term strategic thinking. Yet China might well now be building a mixture of influence and obligation – the modern version of an empire- in quite a British way, and one that promises to cause increasing tension with its giant neighbour and regional rival, India.

This article is well worth reading. Emmott argues that a regional arms race is underway and that necessary mechanisms of dialogue and containment need to be put in place. He concludes:-

No one can stop Chinese expansion. But what they can and should try to do is build regional institutions – Asian versions of the European Union, Nato or the OSCE – within which that expansion can be monitored and to some degree regulated. The alternative is a regional arms race as India, Japan and others build up their own military strength, as an insurance policy against future Chinese aggression. That is already beginning to happen. If that arms race gets out of control, the results could be truly dangerous for the whole world.

Emmott’s article provides considerable food for thought. In addition it provides some contextual background and support for the approach taken by Australia with it’s recent Defence Review. Given Chinese overtures and diplomatic moves in the South Pacific it is to be hoped that the current Defence Review being undertaken by the NZ Government has more regard to such issues as China and India than what Adam regarded as the head in the sand, I see no problems approach of the Clark regime to defence.