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Acclaimed filmmaker Oliver Stone is also considered an influential revisionist historian, famed for questioning accepted orthodoxy or conventional wisdom, as well as an astute social commentator. Photo: AP

Oliver Stone warns US about danger of seeing China as a threat

Acclaimed Hollywood film director Oliver Stone has warned the United States against a "dangerous" policy of seeing China as a potential military threat to America, the region and the wider world.

He was speaking at the World Business Forum held recently in Hong Kong. The had exclusive media access to the filmmaker, who is considered an influential revisionist historian, famed for questioning accepted orthodoxy or conventional wisdom, as well as an astute social commentator.

"I think that this new dialogue about China being a threat to the United States is so non-productive and dangerous," said Stone, aged 68.

The director of critically acclaimed films such as , and said China was not an "expansionary" nation, unlike the US with its hundreds of military bases around the world.

"China will grow, but China's history, the DNA of China, has always been non-expansion abroad," he said.

"China is trying to make a buck and very smart by going into these countries and trying to encourage their productivity, their growth of their infrastructure. They see the long range, the long picture, and we need that in the world. We need people to see the long picture."

China’s history, [its] DNA … has always been non-expansion abroad
OLIVER STONE

Lamenting that the US had not learned the lessons of history and continued to wage war in the name of democracy and anti-terrorism, Stone called for China and Russia to work together and restore the global balance of power. "It's very important that this world not be unipolar," Stone said.

"It's very important the United States not dominate this world, because in domination will come war." He also criticised what he called a culture of money and millionaire worship in the US "Greed is not good," he said, reversing the quote made famous by Gordon Gecko, the predatory corporate raider in his 1987 film, .

"It's unbelievable the amount of money we're talking about now. Something's wrong. It's disgusting," he said.

Ahead of the forum, Stone was in Hong Kong to wrap up shooting for his new film, , about the NSA whistleblower who exposed Washington's global spying programme.

"No major studio which had worked with me would support this movie," Stone said. "We barely got it made … but we got it made and we will get it out."

When asked to respond to Stone's views, the US State Department declined to comment.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Stone chastises US over seeing China as a threat
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