China Dream: PLA's Version by Erick San Juan

China Dream: PLA's Version by Erick San Juan

Col. Liu Mingfu, 64, is the most prominent warrior-scholar from the People’s Liberation Army. His fame rests on ‘‘The China Dream,’’ a book published in 2010 that became a best seller.

It dissected American global dominance and advocated the need for China to overturn it, and  that will secure peace not just in the region but also worldwide. ‘‘Becoming the strongest nation in the world is China’s goal in the 21st century,’’ the colonel wrote.

Colonel Liu laid out his vision of the biggest geopolitical rivalry of this century. ‘‘There are flames around Asia, and every place could be a battlefield in the future. That’s all caused by the invisible hand of the United States. Without the black hand of the United States, Asia would be more peaceful and stable."

"Washington’s policy in Asia is a ‘crab’ policy. There’s a big bamboo cage, and the United States wants all the countries to bite each other like crabs inside the cage.’’ (Edward Wong, International New York Times Asia)

The China Dream that every Chinese wanted to achieve (but reality check, every dream) can turn into a nightmare, unfortunately. Even the mighty land of milk and honey is undergoing an economic crisis, including the whole world like domino.

Such situation, like in the past world wars, the world is again ripe for a another global war where several flashpoints are brewing with the possibility of a regional conflict first and then the real war.

The recently concluded meeting between US and China leaders did not solve anything because it was filled with rhetoric. And to heed the viewpoint of Col. Liu – “no matter how much China commits itself to a ‘peaceful rise,’ conflict is inherent in U.S.-China relations.’’
A very sad reality confronting this region because efforts being undertaken by smaller countries to find peaceful resolutions in the disputed areas are now in vain.

It all boils down to the leadership of every country involve as claimants in the South China Sea area. It is perceived that Uncle Sam is using the Philippines as cannon fodder that will create a proxy war in the offing.

The so-called alliances build-up and military modernization through ‘military grant’ (a.k.a. loan) has already established a community of war mongers and an arms race has begun.

That is why from the Chinese perspective, US allies have “been inciting our neighbors to provoke us.’’

Continued provocations and word wars might hasten the impending war to occur. Yet here we are, offering our military bases to Uncle Sam as their forward base via the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement, and the much controversial Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that according to some US officials, they are expecting the Supreme Court to come out with the resolution of EDCA’s constitutionality any time soon.

Despite the statement of several US military generals that they will protect us, history dictates that without the approval of the US congress, the commitments of US military officers are just sweet nothing.

While the region is boiling with tension, our local politicians are ‘hot’ in every aspect and can’t wait for the next election. Propaganda after propaganda, gimmickry and mud-slinging are the latest trending acts in the world of politics.

They seem to be oblivious of the current economic crisis that is a clear prescription for another world war.