Ambassador Barshefsky on China’s Aims

Ambassador (I’ll bet she loves being called that…I, btw, am also an ambassador but preferred to be called Bill) Barshefsky recently spoke at the Committee of 100 annual convention. Barshefsky helped write the agreement that China signed to join the WTO.

FWIW, following is what I gathered are some of her thoughts on China.

China has four aims –

1. Maintain a stable external environment in the face of modernization.

2. Restore Chinese prestige on the world stage.

3. Unify the nation – that means brining Taiwan, the last renegade back into the fold.

4.  Ensuring its own indepenence.

Its policies are then to ‘do nothing precipitous for it is not a terroist nation nor is it an imperialist nation.

Its mantra is "peaceful development" NOT "peaceful rise."

Do you agree with her? Why or why not?