LettersHow China can win back the world’s trust: hold the aggression, choose reconciliation

“Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none,” said former US president Thomas Jefferson in his inaugural address. How pertinent those words are today for the Chinese leadership, which needs to realise that trade and peace go hand in hand, and national alliances only work when there is a strong bond of trust.

While very few would deny that China has done an exceptional job of lifting millions of people out of poverty in the last four decades with its unique political and economic model, now may be the right time for the Chinese leadership to revisit its foreign policy as it tries to benefit from the shift in the balance of power.

Its foreign policy blunders, including its aggressive rhetoric over the last six months, have seen the perception of China dive to its lowest level in decades in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and India, while its relationship with Britain and European Union is stuttering after it implemented a national security law in Hong Kong with complete disregard for their concerns.

China could find itself in deep trouble if the US rallies other countries around its concept of “China decoupling”. US President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he is not interested in a “phase two” trade deal with China, and the shutting out of Huawei from Britain’s 5G network should force China to introspect.

China’s threat of retaliation is no longer working, for example with Britain and Australia. It may want to contemplate why it does not have any credibility among its so-called friends.

To mitigate the damage done by its recent aggressive rhetoric, China should first build trust through transparency. It should start sharing all its information on the coronavirus, which could help uncover its origin and possibly aid in the development of a cure. The invitation earlier this month for a World Health Organisation team to visit China was a positive step.

Second, it must start respecting other countries’ concerns around territorial integrity and sovereignty, and stop unnecessarily aggressive military overtures in disputed territories. This will help improve relations with its neighbours and enhance China’s image in the West.