Michael Sobolik wants us to be very afraid of Chinese expansionism:
For all of Beijing’s legitimate and long-standing security concerns, however, the sheer scope of China’s expansion is undeniable. Western leaders often deny or ignore it, usually at the behest and prodding of Chinese leaders. When Nixon finally gained an audience with Mao Zedong, he reassured the chairman, “We know China doesn’t threaten the territory of the United States.” Mao quickly corrected him: “Neither do we threaten Japan or South Korea.” To which Nixon added, “Nor any country.” Within the decade, Beijing invaded Vietnam.
Sobolik’s argument relies on a lot of unsupported assertions and distortions. This anecdote about Nixon and Mao is a good example of the latter. The Sino-Vietnamese War was a punitive campaign that China launched in response to Vietnam’s intervention in Cambodia to overthrow the Khmer Rouge. It was hardly a war of expansionist conquest, and it didn’t result in any territorial gains for China. In fact, the war didn’t go well for China at all, and that was the last time that the PRC waged a major war outside its borders. It has been generations since Chinese forces have engaged in anything more than border skirmishes. Whatever else one wants to say about Chinese foreign policy, calling it expansionist is simply inaccurate.
Continue reading “Hawks Inflate the Threat from Chinese ‘Expansionism’”
