The contrast between American foreign policy and Chinese foreign policy is sharply drawn in this article which opens with the following arresting paragraph.
The unilateralism and anti-terror policies of the United States are increasingly damaging its relations with the largest Muslim nation in the world, Indonesia, where many view the "war on terror" as anti-Islam. Meanwhile, China is quietly moving closer to the archipelago.
And towards the end of the piece is this paragraph:
In pursuing better relations with its neighbors, China has placed itself in a good position vis-a-vis the US. It has a more active diplomacy, and is reinventing itself as an alternative to the US. China is becoming the nation of multilateralism. It is taking a greater role in the United Nations, and is sponsoring regional initiatives such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN+3. It advocates cooperative solutions to problems such as the North Korean nuclear crisis. [Emphasis added]Posted by Donald Douglas at November 12, 2003 09:15 AM | TrackBack
One wonders how China will respond to the growing restiveness of Muslims in its norwestern region? Will Indonesia be of any help with that? The U.S. "go it alone" policy under this administration has certainly fed the smoldering embers of anti-American sentiment world wide. How might the Great Conflagration be avoided?
Posted by: Joyce Passos at November 13, 2003 05:17 PM