China's economic progress has engendered apprehensions that it may overtake the USA and emerge as the new hegemon. The USA harbours a love-hate relation with the Chinese dragon. Smaller countries under US influence also envy (Venice Complex) or fear China.

The cognitive dissonance in US-China relations is obvious. The USA looks upon China as a copycat trying to equalise the USA through cyber-espionage. Simultaneously, it extols China's economic leapfrog, as long as it suits US interests.

Debt trap: The US has reservations about Chinese investment in Pakistan and Sri Lanka as elsewhere. It surmises that Chinese loans, disguised as investments, are predatory. Such loans lead to 'asset seizures' like that of Hambantota port of Sri Lanka.

The factual position is that Chinese infrastructure loans have not led to the forfeiture of a single valuable asset abroad. The US view is based on the Rhodium Group study, which mentions only Hambantota port as the lone instance of seizure. The claim of forced lease or seizure is questionable. The Hambantota port lease, held jointly by the Hong Kong-based China Merchants Port and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, was negotiated over 2016-2017.

Payments of the principal and interest for the port loans included only about 1.5 per cent of Sri Lanka's external debt repayment obligations. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority promptly paid dues using revenues from Colombo port, which includes a container terminal run by China Merchants Port.

The alarmist or envious view of a rising China has engendered many misperceptions. China has no territorial ambitions. China is preoccupied with removing the urban-rural gulf (2020 to 2050), and providing adequate food and clothing to its population

China holds an estimated nine to 15 per cent of Sri Lanka's low-interest external debt. It owes high-interest loans to Western commercial banks. International sovereign bonds account for about half of the external debt, with Americans holding two-thirds of their value and Asians only about eight per cent.

Sri Lanka is liable to pay interest averaging 6.3 per cent on international sovereign bonds and the principal must be fully repaid in about seven years. In contrast, more than two-thirds of the value of Chinese state funds lent to Sri Lanka from 2001-2017 (including two-thirds of the Hambantota port loans) were at two per cent interest, and mostly repayable over 20 years.

Media reports about Sri Lanka's government being forced to sign the port away on a 99-year lease after failing to repay Chinese loans at 6.3 per cent, are untenable.

The Sri Lankan government still owns the Hambantota port and funds received for the lease were used to pay off expensive Western loans. There is no Chinese military base at Hambantota. In fact, China has leaseholds of only Mombasa and Djibouti sea-ports. In contrast, the USA holds 800 sea-ports.

China wants to colonise Pakistan?: China never harboured any such ambition. History tells that China did its best to ensure protection of Pakistan's sovereignty. A strong Pakistan is a bulwark for China's security as well. Andrew Small, in The China-Pakistan Axis (page 34) tells 'In 1982, a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft belonging to the Pakistan military left Urumqi, capital of the North-Western Chinese province of Xinxiang, headed for Islamabad, carrying five lead-lined, stainless steel boxes, inside each were 10 single-kilogram ingots of highly enriched uranium, enough for two atomic' bombs.' He adds, 'China began supplying both M-11s and M-9s in unassembled form, which required development of a dedicated missile assembly facility near Rawalpindi' (p 40, ibid.).

Differences: There are marked differences between China and Pakistan that rule out Pakistan as a colony for China. China's pragmatism in `religion', now dollar-orientation, obedient labour force, enlightened leadership with a world vision, and hard work ethos is different from Pakistan's.

Take the water aspect alone. Our lethargy marks a contrast with China's history. There are more than 22,104 dams in China over the height of 15 m (49 ft). Of the world's total large dams, China accounts for 20 per cent of them, 45 per cent for irrigation. The oldest dam in China, the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, dates back to 256 BC. In 2005, there were over 80,000 reservoirs in the country and over 4,800 dams completed or under construction that stood at or exceeded 30 meters (98 ft) in height. As of 2007, China is also the world's leader in the construction of large dams. The tallest dam in China is the Jinping-I Dam at 305 meters (1,001 ft), an arch dam, which is also the tallest dam in the world. The largest reservoir is created by the Three Gorges Dam, which stores 39.3 billion m3 (31,900,000 acre feet) of water and has a surface area of 1,045 km2 (403 sq mi). Three Gorges is also the world's largest power station.

China's Marxist-social metamorphosis defies our religious moorings. China was able to bridge the stark differences that existed between rural and urban lifestyles. The hukou system was designed to prevent rural to urban migration.

Atheism: China 'entertained' foreign investors in every possible way. 'In 2001, a count of the out-of-wedlock children produced by Shenzhen's working women and mistresses over two decades numbered 520,000…the sex industry is one of the few robust conduits of money back to China's impoverished areas'. (Ted C Fishman, China Inc, p 98). There are karaoke clubs to entertain burly foreign investors.

Leadership: Chinese leaders have a world vision, a weltanschanschauung. Pakistani sand-dune 'leaders' have none. China is a pacifist nation. Temperamentally, Chinese shield themselves from danger (The Great Wall). But, they have no itch to wage a war.

Yet, they have over 1000 ballistic weapons aimed at Taiwan.

Uighur persecution and social issues: The Uighurs are recognised as native to the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. The Insider of 24 December reported that China has initiated a 'Pair Up and Become Family' programme to dilute the Uighur minority. Han Chinese men are sent to live with Uighur women in China's western region of Xinjiang. 'Neither the girls nor their families can reject such a marriage because they will be viewed [by Chinese authorities] as Islamic extremists for not wanting to marry atheist Han Chinese. They have no choice but to marry them. China denies the allegation.

Be it observed that the Uighurs is not like Orthodox Muslims. Both Pakistan and the Uighurs criticise each other. Andre Small (p 80, ibid.) states 'Pakistan's criticism of the Uighurs' irreligiousness or fondness casts aspersions on their standing as Muslims'. It is said that 'Turkistan separatists are supported by the United States or India in order to drive a wedge between China and Pakistan.'

The alarmist or envious view of a rising China has engendered many misperceptions. China has no territorial ambitions in South China Sea (Spratly Islands) or elsewhere. China is preoccupied with removing the urban-rural gulf (2020 to 2050), and providing adequate food and clothing to its population. Since early 2013, Xi Jinping has been talking about 'fuqiang guojia' ('rich, strong, powerful country'). His leadership is threatened by the USA's machinations (tariff and trade war, Hong Kong unrest, and religious and BRI/CPEC concerns). Besides, there are social issues involving China's unity, need for political reform in view of the Party's long continuation in power and economic or political deterioration in the international environment.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan