Asia-Pacific risks being anvil under US hammer

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has used her just concluded one-week trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to hype up warnings against countries becoming too reliant on China.

According to Australian media reports, Baerbock said her country has overhauled its strategic approach to China to avoid a repeat of its past mistake when the NATO member failed to realize the extent of its energy dependence on Russia. The top German diplomat apparently wants to dissuade countries from developing stronger trade ties with China. Yet such warnings, which are nothing but echoes of Washington’s scaremongering about China, may not fall on receptive ears.

Australia, for instance, has worked hard to improve relations with China after experiencing hard times when its trade with China nosedived thanks to the “decoupling” efforts of the previous Scott Morrison government. With the incumbent Anthony Albanese government taking a more objective view of bilateral ties, the economic and trade ties between the two countries have been rapidly improving. Baerbock may also want to send a message that is different from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s advocacy of pragmatic cooperation with China, since she is a member of the German Green Party, which is part of the coalition government. Her scaremongering on China has, to some extent, undercut the efforts made by the German leader in his recent trip to China.

Judging by the current political atmosphere in the West which deems anti-China sentiments to be political correctness, China not only needs to evaluate the impact of such internal political divisions but also guard against the US’ maneuvers in piecing together new anti-China small cliques. Last week, the defense chiefs of the US, Australia, Japan and the Philippines gathered in Hawaii for a second joint meeting. Given the tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, it is no surprise that this regional grouping should be dubbed the “Squad” by Pentagon officials.

Like its template, the Quad, which was also assembled by the US, the new quadrilateral group has been formed with the obvious intention of making waves in the South China Sea, posing a tangible and immediate threat to China’s security outlook. Thanks to its outdated Cold War mentality, the US has been tirelessly trying to create tensions and frictions in the Asia-Pacific so as to destabilize the development environment in China’s neighborhood. Washington’s selfish antics are turning the region into a new venue for bloc confrontation. Countries in the region must remain vigilant against the risk-laden antics of the US, say “no” to interference from outside forces and join hands to build a peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific for all.