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CHESS
BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D.
After reviewing several important U.S. China relation articles I realized that China
should start looking at the relation more as a weiqi than chess game.
For three years since Xi Jinping became President of China, Xi has patiently
appealed to Obama for a new relationship to treat each other as equals and more
mutual respect. Xi made the first approach of this idea of a new relation during the
informal meeting between Obama and himself in California and later again at the
Asia Pacific summit meeting at the side line with Obama. By all observations from
U.S. scholars, Obama just ignored Xi and increased the military pivot to Asia to
contain China.
Now Chinese scholars are beginning to advise Xi to look away from trying fruitlessly
appeal to Obama. They suggest that China should adopt the strategy of look away
from a hopeless situation and redouble her effort to strengthen the other regions to
support this hopeless territory as in weiqi.
To be specific, Xi's initiative of "Belt and Road" to rebuild the ancient silk road is
very timely to help the land locked developing countries to modernize and expand
their connectivity with the outside by riding on China's technology and success.
This will increase world trade, exchange and China's friendship and cooperation with
many countries, such as Central Asian countries, East European countries, Burma,
Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Brazil, African and south American countries.
There will be a lot of infrastructure to be built by Chinese technology and
investment. Comparing to the military investment and expansion in U.S. effort to
pivot to Asia, the belt and road initiative is more constructive, more conducive to
peace and beneficial to the world.
When Xi comes to the U.S. in July for the state visit invited by Obama, I suggest that
Xi should just play cool and not waste any effort to convince Obama for a more
equal relation. Instead he should just bring China's first lady to charm the U.S.
public like she did as she visited many other countries. In time the buildup of the
belt and road initiative will show Obama the reality that China is the infrastructure
builder of the world and an equal partner in a multipolar world. That will bring world
harmony a step closer to reality also!!!!!
Francis C W Fung,Ph.D.
Director General
World Harmony Organization
San Francisco, CA