China is a great nation. A proud nation of philosophers, warriors, entrepreneurs, and technological advancement. Chinese philosophy, in particular, has had made invaluable contributions to human wisdom and the cultivation of both consciousness and conscientiousness. It is a philosophy of optimism, serenity, and intrinsic growth, albeit how unfavorable or inopportune circumstances may be. In a word, that of transcendence. And, naturally, with these attributes comes pragmatism.
“In crisis there are always opportunity,” goes one Chinese proverb (Fitzgerald and Packwood, 2013). What is far more captivating still, is the Chinese understanding of the word ‘crisis’. Contrary to its general use, the term in Chinese is a dialectical fusion of danger and opportunity, which offers an apt pragmatic approach to navigate through turbulent times [emphasis added].
As President Putin noted at the 18th annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club last month: “the word “crisis” [in Chinese] consists of two hieroglyphs…, “danger” and “opportunity.”” He further elaborated on the significance of this notion, “Of course, we must be aware of the danger and be ready to counter it, and not just one threat but many diverse threats that can arise in this era of change. However, it is no less important to recall a second component of the crisis—opportunities that must not be missed, all the more so since the crisis we are facing is conceptual and even civilisation-related. That is basically a crisis of approaches and principles that determine the very existence of humans on Earth, but we will have to seriously revise them in any event. The question is where to move, what to give up, what to revise or adjust [my formatting].” (“Valdai Discussion Club Meeting”)
President Putin is incontestably right on all these accounts. All things considered, climate change stands as the greatest existential peril facing mankind—so much so, it compromises all forms of life on earth. Up to this day, China ranks as the world’s biggest polluter in absolute terms. Its emissions grew by 1.7% last year (2020) compared to the year before (2019), to top 14,400 million metric tons of CO2 (Bloomberg).
Perspicuously, the Chinese leadership currently views the world through the prism of critical crisis—of imminent great dangers and game-changing opportunities [emphasis added]. Hence, the manner in which China positions and conducts itself globally, on multiple scenes in the international arena, is that of seizing all realizable and potential opportunities to mitigate and neutralize existing and prospective dangers.
The question therefore is: How efficient is China’s global crisis management approach?
The truth of the matter is this:
For China, its industrial machinery is the kernel of its economic strength; which is de facto the core capability it wields to exert global influence. As such, securing the progressive development and continuity of this apparatus directs the country’s foreign policy and dictates its global self-positioning. Under normal circumstances, this would, more so should, be any great power’s with global presence—mind you, a novice superpower—natural disposition with respect to its core capabilities [emphasis added].
Paradoxically, China’s industrial wheel is also its Achilles’ heel, in light of the fact that it is mostly powered by coal; eo ipso making China the world’s biggest polluter, and that colossal manufacturing apparatus, itself, a grave threat to the climate. “China’s share of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (adjusted for purchasing-power-parity (PPP)) weighted 18.34% in 2020 (Statista),” (Nasif). A precipitous transition to a cleaner energy source would perforce result in Chinese economy losing momentum while rallying—on the fast track, one may add—toward becoming the world’s largest economy, surpassing that of the United States. That is the very conscientious commitment, though at a hefty economic cost, world powers, namely Western powers, are prodding China to make to combat climate change.
Notwithstanding official statements; and albeit the truth that China might very well be wholeheartedly devoted to the cause and pursued end (i.e. combating climate change); it is strikingly obvious that Beijing won’t be coming around to the Western viewpoint so easily. China isn’t so vehemently opposing the transition to cleaner and safer energy sources per se, so much it is resisting the proposed economically-detrimental manner in which this transition is requested to be made.
That being said, the more recent political and military démarches—by the means of which China intended to assert itself more forcefully in the international arena—have, most probably, been perceived as ‘opportunities’ to mitigate the possibility of foreign intervention, more so the prospect of war i.e. ‘the danger’, in the case where Beijing does not comply with Western demands. In fine, whether it was sending warplanes into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ); or, the alleged testing—since Beijing rebutted the story (Cameron)—of its new nuclear-capable missile system, Orbital Bombardment System (OBS) on a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV), which has been circulating news-media worldwide; they ought to allude China’s resolve not to compromise the beating heart of its economic progression at all costs.
Alas! The more assertive China projects itself, the more it antagonizes Western powers. Such assertiveness further signals unfounded proclivities for escalation towards the horrid eventuality of war. At this juncture, it would be infinitely helpful for the Chinese leadership to call to mind an Athenian historical wisdom offered by the historian Thucydides, in order to avert a Third World War, “the growth of the Athenian power, which terrified the Lacedaemonians and forced them into war [my formatting],” (Waltz 159).
Related Publications: “Congratulations China! Officially a ‘Superpower’” and “The Chinese Conundrum: Are We Soon To Be Faced with the ‘Asian Question’?”
Reference
Bloomberg. www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-05/china-s-emissions-increased-by-1-7-in-2020-report.
Cameron, James J. “What did China test in space, exactly, and why?” The Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/21/what-did-china-test-space-exactly-why/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2021.
Nasif, Alan. “The Chinese Conundrum: Are We Soon to Be Faced with the ‘Asian Question’?” Intelligence Scoop – A Blog Addressing Politics, Sociology, and Philosophy, Economics, and Psychology, 5 July 2021, www.intel-scoop.com/the-chinese-conundrum-are-we-soon-to-be-faced-with-the-asian-question/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2021.
Kenneth, Waltz N. Man, the State and War. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001.
Valdai Discussion Club Meeting. 21 Oct. 2021, en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66975. Accessed 31 Oct. 2021.
