Xi Jinping takes a public oath of allegiance to the Constitution in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 17, 2018. Xi was elected Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China earlier Saturday at the ongoing first session of the 13th National People's Congress, the national legislature. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
Christian Heller, RCD: South China Sea: China Breaks From a Century of Humiliation
“Unless one is intimately aware of this Chinese historical experience, one cannot comprehend what motivates China today in the South China Sea.”
On July 1st, 1997 Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), accepted the return of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom. After a century and a half under British control, Chinese leaders reasserted dominance over one of the largest ports and economic centers in eastern Asia, thereby “wiping out the century-old humiliation caused by its occupation.” This Century of Humiliation from 1842 to 1949 and the contemporary discourse around it are a driving narrative of contemporary Chinese history, foreign policy, and militarization of its surrounding regions like the South China Sea. The expansion of the Chinese navy in numbers, mission, and aggression is directly fueled by China’s previous weakness and exploitation at the hands of western nations.
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WNU Editor: When a country's leader uses nationalism and humiliation together to promote their foreign policy, nothing good ever comes out from that.
