Facts show nations need not fear the rise of China

Sweden's Security Service issued a report on security in mid-March that named three nations as posing a threat to the Scandinavian country: Iran, China and Russia.

The People's Republic of China has never invaded any country since its establishment in 1949, and neither has it interfered in any nation's internal affairs. It has always stood ready to mediate for peace wherever and whenever conflicts and wars have occurred.

The slogan of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing was "One World, One Dream", to stress the importance of countries cherishing peace and prosperity and a good life together.

In particular, since China's reform and opening-up in 1978, its focus has always been on peaceful economic development and on forming amicable relations with countries around the world, regardless of differences in culture, political system and ethnicity. What is the "China threat"?

Given that China is growing fast and is now the second-largest economy in the world, it is understandable that the United States may consider China a threat to its dominance in the world. According to US political scientist Graham Allison, a dominant country will not feel comfortable at the rise of another country perceived to be challenging its position, potentially leading to armed conflict. This is known as the Thucydides Trap.

Many authors and pundits have depicted China as a "threat", but as far as I can see, the facts do not support what is imagined.

China's military budget is a fraction of that of the US. Although it does have nuclear weapons, its nuclear arsenal is significantly smaller than that of the US or Russia. China has also vowed not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. Why does Sweden not name the US as a threat, particularly given its record of frequently interfering in other countries' affairs and multiple incidents of instigating regime change?

Does Sweden fear the name of China's ruling party?

Historically, communism has been taken as calling for overturning the capitalist system through revolution and nationalization of private property. But especially since its opening-up, China has transformed itself into a socialist market economy. It has even passed legislation protecting private property and laws protecting intellectual property. Last year, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, adopted the Law of the People's Republic of China on Promoting the Private Economy, which took effect on May 20 last year.

Sweden, along with other Nordic countries, has adopted many socialist principles and offers citizens benefits such as healthcare, pension support, unemployment insurance and child day care, to the extent that it is regarded as a welfare state. China offers similar benefits. It also follows free market principles and trades freely with the rest of the world. From this perspective, Swedish values and Chinese values are remarkably similar. Why should Sweden fear China?

China is noted as a fervent supporter of multilateralism and a pro-peace member of the United Nations Security Council. Of course, China needs to have a sufficiently strong military force for self-protection. If it did not have such capability, it would have been bullied much like Panama and Venezuela. Today, China is one of the most peaceful nations on Earth, thanks to its ability to safeguard its national security.

While China's political system is different from that of Sweden, there is nothing to fear. China's political system is a meritocracy: the leadership is selected rigorously against many criteria and is open to all citizens based on the ability to serve the country and its people. There are periodical peaceful power transitions. While the Communist Party of China maintains its leadership of the nation, nobody enjoys an automatic pathway to leadership. There are also multiple checks against power abuse, and China's courts have handled many cases against government establishments.

To many businesses, China may be considered a "threat" because it is indeed a formidable competitor. China has excelled on many fronts — shipbuilding, bridge building, high-speed trains, robotics, electric cars, green energy, quantum computing, power generation, power storage and power transmission. The list goes on. But China has achieved these advances through hard work.

China's success has not come easily. It has taken hard work, discipline, leadership, education and, above all, learning from mistakes. The country used to suffer from serious air and water pollution. But today these are no longer serious problems. On March 12, the NPC adopted the Ecological and Environmental Code to consolidate over 30 existing laws into a comprehensive framework to advance environmental protection and green development. It is China's second formal legal code, after the 2020 Civil Code.

Furthermore, China has been relentlessly improving its institutions and its governance. China does not believe in mercantilism. In fact, it has been hosting the world's first national-level expo dedicated to imports, the China International Import Expo, for years. The 9th China International Import Expo, scheduled for Nov 5 to 10, will welcome exporters around the world to come to China and sell their products in the Chinese market. China believes in fair competition and fair play, and will never consider a strong, fair player as a threat.

The author is an honorary research fellow at the Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute of Lingnan University, and an adjunct professor at the Academy for Applied Policy Studies and Education Futures of Education University of Hong Kong. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.