The People’s Republic of China is looking to ruffle feathers in all directions. Beijing, which is facing international backlash in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, which has been its doing, is looking to fend the attacks by going on a suicidal offense. As a result, it has started beef with countries not only in its immediate vicinity but in sea and countries that are thousands of miles away. The dragon has truly gone insane as it is provoking more countries than it can handle or its lackluster military can handle.
The newest flashpoint in the long list of Chinese skirmishes is the United Kingdom. The Chinese Communist Party has threatened the UK with countermeasures if the UK goes ahead and provides more rights to British National (Overseas) passport holders. UK’s foreign secretary Dominic Raab had said that the UK would provide more rights to BNO passport holders, if China goes ahead with the national security law. Moreover, after the Tories led by Boris Johnson decided to pull the plug out of the Huawei 5G deal agreed between the nations, the Chinese have gone ballistic. It has openly threatened that its punishment will “go beyond technology”.
China came up with the statement yesterday, the same day when the UK and the USA decided to take China to UNSC for the controversial national security law it is trying to introduce as legislation in Hong Kong. The legislation if introduced will be in violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed by Britain and China. Under the agreement, Hong Kong’s previous capitalist system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years until 2047 which is being otherwise threatened by the proposed bill.
The UK is just the latest in the long list of countries that China has irked, here we have compiled a list for you to easily remember China and how it is having a total breakdown:
AUSTRALIA
The curious case of Australia and China has been well documented by TFI. Since the Australian government under Prime Minister Scott Morrison started calling out for an international inquiry over China’s role in the spread of COVID-19, the dragon has been miffed.
To cull Australia’s advances, the Chinese Communist Party has unleashed the final bow in its quiver–the Trade Wars. It unceremoniously slapped 80 percent tariff on Barley and banned the import of meat. To top it all, it has threatened with further restrictions on Coal and iron-ore imports.
While China continues to bark, Australia has been standing its ground and not budging an inch. Marisa Payne, the foreign minister had iterated that if the need arises, Australia will take China to the international trade umpire—WTO. Meanwhile, PM Morrison has turned to India and a June 4 virtual summit is set to usher the Indo-Australian ties in a new direction as both countries try to look beyond China.
TAIWAN
Taiwan which has long been wanting to divorce China and get rid of it has been getting on the nerves of an agitated China. Starting with its mask diplomacy which has charmed the entire world to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen making political statements every now and then of using the escalating tensions between US-China challenge the Chinese hegemony in the state, Taiwan is mounting a spirited fight.
As a result, Li Zuocheng, chief of the Joint Staff Department and member of the Central Military Commission of China recently stated that China will attack Taiwan if there is no other way of stopping it from becoming independent. Li is one of the most senior generals of China and such a statement coming out from his side means that Taiwan is poking around where it hurts the most.
SOUTH CHINA SEA
Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party has been trying to push its illegitimate, expansionist interests in the South China Sea. The Philippines has been, for instance, protesting against the creation of two districts in the South China Sea
Vietnam has also protested China’s decision to form administrative districts in the Sea, as Beijing recently announced that it had set up new administrative districts on the Paracel and Spratly Islands.
Meanwhile, Indonesia has rejected China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea by raising the 2016 Hague ruling in its letter to the United Nations. Indonesia out rightly rejected China’s ‘nine-dash line’ imbecile theory.
China has been getting quite confrontational with Malaysia as well. A Chinese research ship was found conducting a survey close to an exploration vessel operated by Malaysia’s state oil company Petronas, last week. As a result, two US warships have- USS America and USS Bunker Hill have also entered the fray near Malaysia
JAPAN
While the spotlight remains on the standoffs in the South China Sea, China has been regularly instigating conspiracies against its traditional arch-nemesis China in the East China Sea.
The latest incident happened in early May when four Chinese Coastguard vessels entered Japanese waters and started chasing Japanese boats. However, Japan would take none of this, and warded off the Chinese with a warning. The uninhabited islands and reefs located in the East China Sea are rich in resources, a reason why Tokyo and Beijing share decades-old territorial disputes in the maritime region.
INDIA
The perennial itch of China to rile the Indian side is not new. By using Nepal as a pawn to remove the buffer zone between the two countries, China is looking to make deep inroads near the border.
Speaking of intrusion, while the India-Nepal situation was escalating, the Chinese Communist Party started with its intrusion in the eastern part of Ladakh.
Although, the scare-mongering tactics of the timid young Chinese troops did not last as the Indian forces were dispatched in large numbers which drove off the Chinese. The dragon does not have any experience of war and therefore resorts to such posturing to make its presence felt.
1967 was a lesson for China and that’s the reason why not a single bullet has been fired on the LAC till now—add to it the mighty Indian resolve that the Chinese were an audience to in Doklam in the year 2017. Beijing had to take a step back when India ever so slightly flexed its battle-hardened muscles.
CANADA
The relations between Canada and China also continue to deteriorate. On Wednesday, a British Columbia Supreme Court blocked the latest attempt by Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei to halt her extradition to the US. China has already as retaliatory measures unleashed the Pandora box of tariffs on Canada and things have been quickly going downhill.
USA
President Donald Trump is on the tails of Dragon. He has imposed restrictions on the export of semiconductor (chip) for the Chinese tech giant ‘Huawei’ which has put the company’s survival at stake. China has therefore insinuated that it will take retaliatory measures.
Trump has also been routinely targeting China and his latest move of severing ties with WHO, citing increasing infestation of Chinese influence in the UN body is being seen in a similar light.
Trump had also warned caution to China if it did not respect the agreement of the first part of the Trade deal that came off the back of massive trade wars, then there would be major counter-measures.
All in all, China has bit more than it can chew and a post COVID world will be a different reality altogether for Beijing. Xi Jinping has struck too many Hornet’s nest and it does not look like he is stopping anytime soon.