China: No Social Skills?

Lord Palmerston famously said that there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies; there are only permanent interests. A bit cynical, but that’s pretty much how nations act. And by the same principle, nations would be allies with others who share similar interests.

But what if an ally can’t pull their weight? Or is too poor or weak to act on those (common) interests? In that case, the stronger/richer ally could invest in the other partner. But only if the “What’s in it for me?” question has a worthwhile answer. Like the US did with western Europe during the Cold War: apart from ideological reasons, the (missile) flight time from Europe to Moscow is a lot lesser. Similarly, the Soviets backed the eastern Europe because (again, apart from ideological reasons) those nations served as a buffer zone between NATO and Soviet areas. Or it could be “the alternative is even worse” reasons like why the US backs Pakistan or other Islamic regimes.

China, however, I don’t get in their choice of allies. Try naming one rich or powerful country that is an ally of China. The countries that China supports include losers like North Korea, Myanmar and Pakistan. Sure, they share enemies, er interests, but how does it help China if they have to keep pouring money into their allies, most of whom barely have enough to survive on a daily basis?

Australia would have seemed to be the ideal candidate for a rich country that could have been either turn an ally of China or at the very least, stayed neutral. After all, China’s fantastic growth generates a whole lot of business for the Aussies since they supply so much of the minerals and other raw materials. But no, China can’t make an ally even of a country whose growth is so tightly coupled with them. Instead the Aussies just allied with the US, allowing them to station American marines in Australia. Not content with that, the Aussies even unilaterally announced that a loose military alliance between the US, Australia and India was in the offing. India denied it immediately, but it just conveys my point: why can’t the Chinese seem to make any friends except with pathetic countries?

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