From RConversation:
It’s not every day that you get to sit and watch a senior Chinese diplomat rip Thomas Friedman “a new one” (as we say in American colloquial parlance) as all the Chinese members of the audience cheer him on. But on Friday morning in a panel discussion titled “China’s Soft Power” that’s what happened…
Friedman accused China of being a “free loader” in the post-cold war world, while the U.S. has shouldered the role of global “guardian.” He said that China needs to pull its weight by doing things like joining the U.S. in calling for sanctions against to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He said China needs to do more to stop genocide in Sudan. China’s U.N. Undersecretary-General Sha Zukang cleverly avoided commenting directly on the Iran situation, but on Sudan he said: “There is the impression that China is there for oil only – that is the biggest lie I’ve ever heard.” [Full Text]
