Why doesn’t China have true allies or true friends?

Because in the eyes of Chinese people, all religions are equal to gods. Chinese people pray for gods to serve themselves, just as people with religious beliefs in the West and Middle East countries worship God or Allah. I have no intention of offending any friend with religious belief. If I offend, I will apologize first.

I take this example to say that as long as God is useful, Chinese people will believe in him. If it doesn’t work, the Chinese won’t believe it. This style is very obvious in all areas of China.

For example, due to the lack of cognition and understanding, and strong diode thinking, many foreigners who do not know the situation will ask today’s socialist countries in China? If it is a socialist country, why is the market economy so developed and the economy developing so rapidly? Therefore, in the eyes of many Westerners, the Chinese model is incomprehensible. However, only in this way can China not only have the ability to intervene and mobilize socialism, but also give full play to the advantages of capital and market economy. Therefore, this system is very useful for China. Therefore, the Chinese have given this model suitable for their own development a name, which is called the “socialist road with Chinese characteristics”.

Today, China’s development and progress, as well as the neighboring countries from leering to actively conceding, are the embodiment of China’s strength.

 Second, how does China embody this pragmatism in its foreign exchanges?

According to the characteristics of the Chinese people, if necessary, China will form an alliance. At present, China has no alliance, but the current situation has decided that China should not align. At present, China’s foreign policy is flexible and pragmatic.

Having allies is not necessarily a good thing. The Convention is a constraint on every country, and allies may be a driving force and sometimes a drag.

During China’s self-defence against Vietnam, the large-scale war lasted only one month, from February 17 to March 16, 1979. However, the low-intensity conflict between China and Vietnam lasted for 10 years, and the war did not end completely until the 1990s. Why?

Because the international environment at that time was ten years before the end of the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s military strength reached its peak. After the hostility, the Soviet Union once threatened China heavily. The United States established diplomatic relations with China, achieving the goal of balancing the Soviet Union. The middle and high intensity war of self-defence and counterattack against Vietnam lasted only one month, to tell Vietnam that China is capable of winning. China then withdrew completely and told Vietnam that the reason for China’s fighting was for peace, not blood feud.

However, at that time, Vietnam still had a considerable number of elite troops stationed in Hanoi. Vietnam still thinks it can invade northwards. Therefore, for China, in the face of Vietnam, the primary purpose is to contain it, not to completely conquer it.

If China is hampered by a large-scale war, the final result will be that China cannot develop at all, and the Soviet Union will even threaten China in the south.

Therefore, China’s way is to conduct low-intensity round warfare. First of all, Vietnam can be kept in a state of war and can be properly deterred; Second, China can develop with ease; Third, Vietnam will continue to seek support from the Soviet Union because it is an ally and the Soviet Union will continue to support Vietnam. However, no matter how much the Soviet Union supported Vietnam, Vietnam could not defeat China. Such support would drag the Soviet Union into the quagmire of war that did not belong to him.

In this process, the more Soviet support, the greater the Soviet losses. But since it was already an ally, the Soviet Union could not withdraw halfway. In this case, the alliance had a negative impact on the Soviet Union.

From this perspective, it is very beneficial to China and the United States. This is a flexible and pragmatic foreign policy.

How does the United States need to maintain its allies?

The premise for the existence of the alliance is the existence of a common threat. If this threat does not exist, then the significance of the alliance will not exist. NATO emerged to contain the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West still felt uneasy about the huge Russia. Then NATO still needs to exist. However, after the Cold War, there was no huge conflict between the major powers, and the United States still needed to maintain this huge alliance. The reason is simple. The United States itself is located in the Western Hemisphere, and Eurasia is the center of the world. To consolidate American hegemony, the United States must have the ability to deeply intervene in the Eurasian continent. Therefore, the United States must need allies.

The cost of maintaining allies is enormous. The alliance itself is a political and military act, which cannot directly bring rich economic benefits. In other words, even if the United States has many allies, the United States cannot completely stop the trade between these countries and China. This is why many US allies always attack China without reason on various occasions, but they are still willing to deepen their economic and trade relations with China.

From the perspective of China, China can do business and earn money under this international system. From the perspective of the United States, in order to maintain the alliance, the United States needs to keep spending. That is why the Trump government asked his allies to pay for his military. Because this expense is too big.

Is the importance of allies important today?

The importance of allies depends on the current political needs of the country. For example, if China really wants to compete for world hegemony with the United States, then China will certainly launch an alliance movement. It will not only form an alliance, but also frequently send troops to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and even establish a puppet government around it. But China will not do this, let alone fight for the so-called hegemony.

At present, China’s goal is to make every effort to build and develop. Under such circumstances, if China forms an alliance, it will further stimulate the United States, make neighboring countries uneasy, and make confrontation the mainstream of diplomacy. If the allies are interfered by the armed forces, China will have to send troops. This is totally inconsistent with China’s current goals. Therefore, the Chinese will not blindly align.

As for the friend you mentioned. Do you think there are really friends in international diplomacy? During World War II, due to the existence of Nazis, capitalists and workers could unite. If aliens invade the earth, or if there is a disaster on the earth, the Americans and the Chinese will become close allies. The standard of international diplomacy is one’s own national interests, not feelings.

Therefore, the current diplomatic requirement for China is to maintain good relations with important countries. For example, Russia is an important partner of China, but Russia will not ask China to help him, nor will China ask Russia to help China. This is not because the relationship between the two countries is not good, but because it will make the two countries more flexible in international affairs.

China will not make commitments in an alliance system that bears too many defense responsibilities. Experience in Europe (the Triple Ententees and the Central Powers) before World War I and during the Cold War (NATO and the Warsaw Pact) has proved that running such an alliance system is a real trouble and may drag you into a war you don’t want to fight.

Before the reform and opening up and before joining the United Nations, China was a country to be developed and isolated by the West. Few countries were interested in forming alliances with China, which was in a sensitive position in the Cold War: it was a split branch of the global communist movement and had poor relations with the United States and the Soviet Union, the two most powerful countries at that time. Only some poor and “non influential” countries, such as some Eastern European countries (Albania) and some African countries, will support China in international affairs.

Since China entered the stage of opening up and rapid industrialization, great changes have taken place. But then China decided that following the Non Aligned Movement was the most beneficial strategy. As a world exporter dealing with countries with various political backgrounds and alliance backgrounds, China had better not seriously offend anyone in geopolitics. Therefore, China can balance the contradictions between major power groups and reach better agreements.

In addition, let’s not forget that China’s current population is larger than that of NATO countries plus Japan, South Korea and Australia combined. China already bears the burden of feeding and developing one fifth of the world’s population. The retention of overseas military bases needed to make a serious commitment to the military alliance may consume current logistical capabilities and resources that could otherwise be used elsewhere.

In the past few years, China has become more and more confident, while the United States has in turn called on its allies to join hands against China. Therefore, we have full reasons to believe that China will establish more security cooperation (such as SCO) in addition to the existing economic partnerships (such as the BRICS Bank, the Asian Investment Bank, and the the Belt and Road Initiative) to cope with the changing environment.

However, in the end, Chinese people tend to be self reliant and self reliant in culture. In their long history, they have almost no experience in the alliance system. Therefore, China is probably still unwilling to assume the responsibility and cost of a binding treaty alliance system, but the return is very small. I think this is a good thing for the world, because believe me, we do not need to repeat the situation before World War II or during the Cold War.

Last but not least, there is a saying called “Birds of a feather flock together”. To be honest, is there any country like China that has the strength to actively promote peaceful development?

In 1949, when New China was just founded, she had some idealism and wanted to make friends, but this idealism did not last long.

After 70 years in power, China is very tired of the so-called “alliance”. This feeling is also found in most other Asian countries. The friendship between gentlemen is as thin as water. Rational relations based on common interests are the wise way.