It keeps the country from becoming a superpower.
China likes to think of itself as a rising power and a future world leader. While it is the world’s largest manufacturer and market, many factors hold the country back from realizing its aspirations. Irrespective of political ideologies and forms of government, certain intrinsic characteristics are necessary to earn and maintain credibility among global peers. On the world stage, diplomacy, respect for international laws and borders, human rights protection, transparency of governance, civil liberties, and sheer courtesy are not merely desirable but essential. On that score, China falls woefully short. Beijing has been meticulously trying to earn the ‘benevolent’ or ‘generous’ label. To spruce up its image, the country has opened its purse to the less developed nations. Some reports suggest that in 2019 alone, China gave over nearly $6 billion in foreign aid and grants. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has pledged over a billion doses of COVID vaccines to Africa alone. Besides this, China has shipped huge volumes of personal protection equipment and nearly 450 million doses of medicine worldwide. While Beijing’s willingness to help those in dire need is appreciated, the Chinese regime’s inherent bullying tactics tarnish the generous acts. Beijing has been accused of instigating vaccine diplomacy. It must be noted that the country’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (which aims to link Chinese ports and roads to those flung far and wide) is already facing stiff criticism for trapping under-developed countries in staggering debt. Many have pointed out that China’s largesse is often just for a photo-op. The country funds mega-projects that are of little use to the community, like the Olympic stadium in Ivory Coast. As part of these foreign aid projects, Beijing is also said to have asked for rights to strategic places and facilities, like ports and airstrips. The lack of transparency in Beijing’s dealings with the international community and its near-complete opacity in domestic policies erodes confidence in the country. China’s continued aggression towards its neighbors further cements its image as a bully. The gross human rights violations that occur daily in the country, the oppression and genocide of the Uyghur Muslim population, and the gagged media all point to a regime that is anything but benevolent. Beijing rules its people with an iron hand. The regime wants to be perceived as strong and tough. The single-party government extends the same hard-line attitude towards enterprises and individuals who wish to conduct business with China. In many instances, multinational giants, airlines, and even clothing stores and snack food companies have had to toe the line or risk losing access to one of the world’s largest markets. The Chinese Communist Party and the government are adept at propaganda and censorship. The world population has been paying the price for Beijing’s muzzling of Wuhan doctors and health workers who first sounded the alarm about a possible coronavirus pandemic. China’s belligerent stance towards inhibiting an independent inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 virus has vastly damaged its reputation. Now, with President Xi Jinping having paved the way for unlimited time in office, China is likely morphing from a one-party state to a one-person state, like in the time of Mao.
