Steven Neill wrote an article that sheds much light on an aspect of human interactions that is at times difficult to decipher or comprehend.
It
often happens that the best way to carry on with a discussion of that nature,
is to create a metaphor that illuminates the convoluted concepts we encounter.
This time, however, there will be no need to create a metaphor because a real
incident that happened a while ago, will serve as an adequate metaphor to
illuminate some of the difficult-to-understand concepts we’ll encounter.
Here
is the incident that happened a while ago:
A
prominent televangelist was traveling by air when he tried to force a seating
arrangement that went against regulation. He had a spat with the flight
attendant who would not allow him to do what he wanted. To intimidate the
flight attendant, the televangelist blurted out words that sounded something
like this: It is obvious you don’t know who I am.
The
truth is that the flight attendant knew who the televangelist was. But he had
the duty to enforce the regulation because that’s what guarantees the safety of
the airplane and the whole lot of passengers in it. And so, in the choice
between pleasing a prominent passenger, and ascertaining the safety of the
passengers, the flight attendant chose to tell the evangelist to shut up and
sit down, or face being arrested by the authorities upon landing at the nearest
airport.
This
is the real story — admittedly recreated from
a fading memory years later — that will help
explain much of what’s argued in the article that came under the title: “China
Aims to Dominate Global Governance,” written by Steven Neill, and published on
July 29, 2021 in The American Thinker.
This
is a long article that brings out many points, some of which, we shall visit in
a moment. But the passage that ties in with the metaphor just cited, comes at
the end of the Steven Neill article. And so, to maintain continuity, this is
where we begin our discussion. The passage in question is meant to be taken as
Steven Neill, the conceited American, mocking the Chinese for trying to be good
citizens of the world. It is that Neill does not believe the Chinese have it in
them to crowd the Americans when it comes to playing the role of good citizens
of the world. Here is how that passage reads:
“Imagine, if you will, the leader of a country [Xi Jinping of
China] who is preaching the perks of mutual respect and finding common ground,
and promising to become even more involved in global economic governance, for
the benefit of all”.
Now,
given that Steven Neill believes that the Chinese do not even have the right to
think of themselves as eligible to enter into a competition against the
Americans, what does he see them do that’s so diplomatically sacrilegious, they
ought to be condemned? He sees the Chinese engaged in three forbidden fields: military,
economic and diplomatic. Here is what he says with regard to the military field:
“A
report by the US Department of the Navy divulged the following on China's
projection of its true maritime power: China's growing military capacity and
capabilities are eroding US military advantages at an alarming rate. China aims
at the heart of the United States' maritime power. It seeks to corrode
international maritime governance, deny access to traditional logistical hubs,
inhibit freedom of the seas, control use of key choke-points, deter our
engagement in regional disputes, and displace the United States as the
preferred partner in countries around the world”.
Steven
Neill leveled all those “speculated” accusations against China without offering
one iota of proof as to their accuracy. That’s that. In any case, here is what
he says with regard to the field of economics:
“China is building dams, dikes, and levees controlling the water
flowing from Tibet. China and India are considering building competing dams
along the Brahmaputra/Yarlung Tsangpo River. It is using its Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) to invest in infrastructure in dozens of countries. The BRI is
a Chinese investment that expects a return. Its banking institutions loan money
to the partner countries for projects and use Chinese companies to do the work,
resulting in a Chinese company benefitting from the loan. In the
debt-for-equity swap of Sri Lanka's Hambantota port China excused Sri Lanka's
$8 billion debt in exchange for a 99-year lease of the Sri Lankan port”.
Steven
Neill may want to think there is something wrong with that arrangement, but not
the people of Sri Lanka that have the last word on this matter. So, here is
what Neill says about the diplomatic field:
“Chinese
nationals now head 4 of the 15 UN specialized agencies, including the Food and
Agriculture Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the UN
Industrial Development Organization, and the International Civil Aviation
Organization. Under the UN Sustainable Development Goals, China uses its
control over the Department of Economic and Social Affairs to further its Belt
and Road Initiative. As Beijing pushes globalism with a Chinese twist, the
American ideals of freedom and human rights are losing influence. China is removing
most of the poorest nations and peoples on Earth from the American sphere of
power. President Xi gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in which he
stated that the right choice is for countries to pursue peaceful coexistence
based on mutual respect and to promote exchanges and mutual learning. This is
the way to add impetus to the progress of human civilization. China will get
more actively engaged in global economic governance and the push for an
economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial
to all”.
With
a Chinese performance of this caliber, it is time for America to accept the new
seating arrangement for global governance. America should let China occupy the
driver’s seat by peacefully moving to the passenger’s seat, and letting China
give it a try.
It is the natural order of things.