Transatlantic, meet Pacific: China's bold stance at Munich security conference
In front of 300 diplomats, including senior US officials, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the US was violating international law by a proposed arms sale to Taiwan, and defended Chinese TV and radio as more reliable than Western media.
China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is welcomed by Wolfgang Ischinger, chairman of the Conference on Security Friday before the start of the 46th Conference on Security Policy in Munich. Speaking with uncharacteristic bluntness, Mr. Yang accused the US of violating international law with its proposed arms sale to Taiwan.
Michaela Rehle / Reuters
Munich, Germany
Today Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi, speaking with unusual bluntness in front of 300 leading diplomats 鈥� including senior US officials 鈥� here in Munich publicly stated that China is getting stronger on the international stage. He said the US was violating international law by a proposed arms sale to Taiwan, offered that China鈥檚 TV and radio news service contains 鈥渕ore solid鈥� and reliable news than Western media, and that China is not ready to address sanctions on Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, stating instead that the Islamic Republic 鈥渉as not totally closed the door on the IAEA.鈥�
Transatlantic 鈥� meet the Pacific.
Foreign Minister Yang is the first Chinese official to speak at the annual Munich Security Conference, the premier transatlantic security meeting, in its 46 year history. He turned heads in the group at a time when the People鈥檚 Republic and the US have come to loggerheads over Taiwan arms sales, Internet freedom, currency rates, and climate policy coming out of the Copenhagen meeting in December.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 heard a high-ranking Chinese official say, 鈥榊es, we are strong,鈥� in a public setting before,鈥� said a senior German diplomat. 鈥淚t was a very assertive message, different, and it means we will soon see a different Chinese policy.鈥�
Mr. Yang, a former ambassador to the US and highly respected, gave a somewhat conventional speech 鈥� though in a strong voice. He affirmed that China is both a developed and a developing country, that it seeks 鈥渨in-win solutions,鈥� and that it is preparing for greater 鈥渟hared responsibilities鈥� on the world stage 鈥� and that it played a transformative role in helping avert a global financial crisis in the past year.
Yet during three probing follow-up questions, Yang mopped his brow repeatedly in answering on Taiwan, cyberspace, and China鈥檚 position on Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, which he earlier admitted was 鈥渁t a crucial stage.鈥�
鈥淒oes China feel stronger? Yes,鈥� he said as questions opened.
Regarding a proposed US $6.4 billion package of arms for Taiwan introduced in recent weeks by the Obama administration, and which China has for the first time threatened retaliatory sanctions on US firms that supply arms 鈥� Yang called it a 鈥渧iolation of the code of conduct among nations鈥� by the US, said China has 鈥渆very reason to feel indignant about this thing,鈥� and added that Beijing has a 鈥渟overeign right to do what is necessary鈥� in response.
He went on to say China is 鈥渢otally against hacking attacks鈥 don鈥檛 know how this Google thing has popped up鈥� 鈥� in response to a question about cyberspace. At a time when the American search engine giant has said it may leave China after repeated hacks on human rights workers, and British intelligence has reported official Chinese espionage against business travelers, Yang said that 鈥淐hina is a victim鈥� of hacking.
The cyberspace answers were prefaced with polemics on the virtues of Chinese news gathering. The Chinese people have better news than members of the western public, and 鈥渇reedom of speech is what we advocate,鈥� Yang said, adding that with 15 million Chinese traveling abroad every year, 鈥渢he Chinese people are well informed." Yang also said that while foreign companies were free to enter China, and that many had done well there, they still must submit to Chinese laws, 鈥渁nd what is in the best interest of China.鈥�
China鈥檚 presence at the 48-hour Munich conference, hosted by German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, and that will include US National Security Advisor James Jones, follows a robust Chinese presence at the annual Davos conference in Switzerland, where China rented one of the most splendid villas 鈥� used in the past by Microsoft.
Gary Smith, director of the American Academy in Berlin, said that Yuan鈥檚 assertive speech did not contain the kind of direct dynamite that Vladimir Putin鈥檚 address here did in 2007, when Russia's then-president affirmed that Russia would taking a newly assertive role on the world stage. But Yuan鈥檚 comments nonetheless would be felt strongly here, Smith said: 鈥淓uropeans have been terrified by this kind of moment鈥hey鈥檝e been obsessed by the rise of China and India.
鈥淸Yuan鈥檚 remarks] tells this group that the hard work of Atlantic consensus on global issues can be negligible if the Chinese don鈥檛 agree to play ball.鈥�