Don’t Believe in Their Words

Do people believe it, if a blamed boss of mafia justified himself with saying that he was also a victim of violence? Chinese President, Xi Jinping, told US President, Barack Obama, that China was also a victim of cyber attacks. It was obvious that China needed to take effective action against offensive cyber attacks from China to the world, before pretending it to be a defender. Criticisms to China have reasons inside China. United States needs to take appropriate measures.

The first summit meeting of both leaders after Xi’s inauguration in March proceeded in a way of promoting personal understandings between them. They agreed on some issues like climate change to show that the meeting was not empty. Although they agreed on the necessity of denuclearization and denial of nuclear-armed status of North Korea, it was unclear whether Obama required Xi further efforts to let the North abide by its obligation. Asahi Shimbun on Sunday reported that China, violating a resolution of UN Security Council, had been exporting vehicles for transporting and launching missiles.

On cyber security, Obama kept on sending equivocal message to Xi. He just said the hacking might be a difficult problem in the economic relationship. It had already become a serious problem for not only US, but also for the world. US had obtained a number of evidence China’s involvement in cyber attacks. He needed to show his determination not to let Chinese activities be tolerated.

In the bilateral relationship with China, US has been taking ambiguous attitude for years, allowing Chinese unilateral emerge. Welcoming “peaceful” emerge of China, US took no effective measures on conflicts between China and countries in South and East China Sea. It has been overlooking cheap Renminbi against US dollar, believing Chinese empty promises of doing something for it.

There is a conceptual gap about lying between the Americans and the Chinese. The Americans recognize lying as a sin in the Christian way of thinking, and as somehow watched by God. The Chinese think morality not through religion, but through relationships with other people. For them, lying can be tolerated, if it works for people’s happiness. The Americans have to understand the Chinese to be lying for the happiness of their own people, or their regime anyway.

Concerning that Chinese emerge has been causing trouble with its neighbors, US should not deal China with unilateral benefits. It needs to take China not words-for-words manner, but on the principle of action-for-action.