The Chinese government is hoping to mend some fences in coming months following diplomatic rows with several countries, the Los Angeles Times reports:
For a leadership that sailed through the global financial crisis with nary a misstep, the Chinese have proved surprisingly inept at diplomacy. Beijing’s assertive — critics say thuggish — behavior in the international arena has undermined an image it had long cultivated as a gentle giant whose prosperity would only enrich its neighbors.
Carefully nurtured relations with the United States, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and many European countries have seemed in danger of unraveling with alarming speed.
“We need to do some repair work,” said Shen Dingli, an international relations specialist at Shanghai’s Fudan University. “China has to be humble and courteous about appreciating America’s help in its development and should not use rising power to make friends upset.”
Among the many sore points are Beijing’s manipulation of its currency to give its exports an edge over those of its trading partners’, and its seemingly unconditional support of North Korea, particularly after the Nov. 23 shelling of a South Korean island in which four people died.
