Chinese state media had repeatedly said that their foreign policy is for humanity and towards 'building a community with a shared future for mankind,' but in reality, there is a contradiction between words and actions. The Chinese government, for the past several years, has repeatedly tried to intervene in the domestic policy of different countries. In 2018, Chinese leaders made efforts to unite the communist forces present in Nepal, The Singapore Post reported.
Given Nepal's strategic importance to China, the latter is employing several statecraft and party-to-party political tools in a variety of ways to ensure that a pro-China establishment comes to power in the country. Not only in Nepal, but China has also made similar attempts in Bangladesh where the Chinese Ambassador tried to influence the former's independent policy position on Quad. The efforts failed as the Bangladeshi leaders were completely unwilling to succumb to Chinese influence.
The idea of 'respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity' of a nation is equally dubious for China as it continues to intervene but are highly sensitive to anything being said against their sovereignty, reported The Singapore Post. The Chinese state media and propaganda machinery immediately go into a frenzy if any country of the world so much as tries to have a conversation with Taiwan. However, it is unapologetic about its intrusions into the sovereign matters of smaller nations such as Nepal and Bhutan.
Some might argue that the Chinese foreign policy, despite claiming anti-colonialism to be one of its tenets, is turning out to be more colonial in its approach than any accusation it might make against the US. Another example is Sri Lanka's Hambantota port, which the Chinese have no qualms over snatching away from the island country, according to The Singapore Post.
It now intends of replicating the same in Pakistan, where despite the protests by locals in the entire Sindh and Balochistan region, especially around Gwadar, the push has been for the speedy completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. This indicates that the Chinese projects in the region aim to swindle the profits back to China, as opposed to creating any real prosperity in Pakistan. As if to prove this point at the ground level, the Chinese companies are often reported to ill-treat the locals in these small countries, validating their colonial mindset.
Perhaps the biggest sham of all is China's stand against terrorism. Recently, China blocked a bid to designate Talha Saeed, son of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and LeT member Shahid Mahmood as "global terrorists." (ANI)
