CNN bureau chief: China, a teenager in a man’s body

MANILA, Philippines – “Imagine China as a teenager who is inside the body of a 30-year old hulk.”

This was how CNN Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz described China, a neighbor of the Philippines, in the latest edition of the online show #TalkThursday, hosted by Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa.

FlorCruz, a veteran journalist who has been extensively covering China for more than 3 decades now, was describing how China is behaving as a rising world superpower.

“Their mindset is still that of a teenager’s. They’re still trying to figure out emotionally what it’s like to be a power in the world,” FlorCruz explained.

According to FlorCruz, China is in the process of figuring out the prerogatives that it has, and the responsibilities that the status entails, even as it challenges the prevailing hegemony of the US.

A bully or bullied?

When it comes to its territorial and sovereign claims, it should be predictable that China will take a tough stance, FlorCruz said.

China is presently involved in various disputes with many Asian countries, including Japan over Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, and the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

FlorCruz, who holds a degree in Chinese history from Peking University, attributed this bellicose attitude of China to a historical condition called 100-year syndrome.

“The Chinese have always thought that they have this 100 years of history of having been a victim of colonial powers. They have this what they call 100-year syndrome — that they were punished, they were oppressed,” FlorCruz said.

This explains why, whenever their territorial claims are challenged by whoever, Chinese leaders push back hard like they did in the disputes with the US, Taiwan and the ongoing disputes with neighbors, like the Philippines, for control over the South China Sea (or West Philippine Sea), said FlorCruz.

Historically, portions of China — including crucial seaports and territories — were colonized by Japan and nearly all powerful Western countries.

Teenager problems

Domestically, China has been confronting critical problems this year.

“This is a special year in China. It’s a year of leadership transition. China is facing a lot of problems domestically — China’s economy is slowing down, dissent is growing, protests are reported quite often,” FlorCruz said.

“China’s leadership is kind of holding [the] pattern. They don’t want any disruptions. They don’t want messy news,” FlorCruz said.

According to FlorCruz, whenever there is domestics crisis, the instinctive reaction is to push other external parties who may pose threats and influence the citizens’ reaction to domestic politics.

Another source of China’s woes is that the government could not keep up with the expansion of the economic base.

“The Chinese government — in recent years, managing this rising [economic] power, 1.7 billion population — has become such an economic power. [It is now the] number two biggest economic power in the world,” he said.

“China’s economy is changing faster than the political reforms,” FlorCruz added.

Dealing with the teenager

FlorCruz said that it is most likely the Chinese will not give an inch on their claim to disputed areas.

“China will not go away and China will keep rising. We are stuck with our neighbors,” FlorCruz said.

So how will the Philippines deal with it?

“No doubt that the Philippines should stand by its territorial claims. It’s good to defend it. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, we should,” FlorCruz said.

But FlorCruz seemed to favor the de-escalation of the tension, warning that any miscalculation or misunderstanding on any side could lead to an ugly confrontation.

“There’s no better solution than through diplomacy and negotiations and perhaps a joint exploration of the region. It is, in the end, the only positive and doable way,” FlorCruz suggested.

The Philippines is one of the countries in this region. It should also try to figure out where it fits in this geopolitical map, according to FlorCruz.

Recognizing the gap between the public debate and the diplomatic efforts that still need to be undertaken, FlorCruz recommended, “Our diplomats, our policymakers, our think tank people, our scholars should try to figure out and explain to people what’s going in this very fluid geopolitical situation.” –

Watch the full edition of #TalkThursday:

– Rappler.com