In connection with my speaking engagement at the EUGEO conference in Rome on September 5-7, 2013, the Italian media published an interview with me regarding my views on China. It can be found here in Italian: http://www.agichina24.it/l-intervista/notizie/esperta-di-relazioni-cina-usa-sulla-crisi-siriana while the English translation is below:
1. G20 leaders are discussing military intervention in Syria at St. Petersburg’s summit. Does China join Russia in opposing military strikes? China will likely ask for UN agreement and not join Putin. It will keep its tradition of maintaining neutrality.
2. Professor Chen Qi, expert of U.S.-China relations at Tsinghua University, told AgiChina24 that Beijing would have more interests in supporting Washington rather then Moscow. Do you agree? I disagree. China has no interest in seeing this war escalating and has made its position public by saying that the rising oil prices that will result will hurt the global economy.
3. Do you think Obama Pivot policy in Asia has failed? Why? It depends on what the real intent of the pivot is meant to accomplish. If it is intended to derail China ‘s growth, it has not succeeded yet. If it is to provoke China into a military conflict, it has not succeeded yet either. If it is to transfer more military know how and strengthen military ties with certain allies such as Japan, it has succeeded. If it is trying to destabilize the region by creating more paranoia, it seems to be succeeding by straining relations with China.
4. How Sino-American relations developed after the informal meeting of last June in California? I don’t think the informal meeting between the two leaders has improved anything because the US agenda will be dominated by Obama’s policymakers, not Obama. Obama has proven that he doesn’t have enough leadership to win over Washington to his original mandate to stay out of wars but has instead just become another spokesman for the war hawks in Washington, not unlike George W Bush.
