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Chinese Leader Concerned over China's Role
BEIJING, Oct 1 (News Agencies) - Chinese President Jiang Zemin's aggressive telephone diplomacy in the wake of last month's terrorist attacks in the United States reflects concern that China is not being taken seriously as a global player, analysts said Monday, news agencies reported.
Zemin made phone calls to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga late Sunday to explain China's ideas on how terrorism should be fought.
The calls by Zemin came atop of a flurry of other calls made in the past two weeks, not only to U.S. President George W. Bush, but also to the leaders of France, Britain and Russia, reported Agence-France Presse (AFP).
"The United States has been so successful in constructing a global coalition against terrorism, that China is seeking a proper role in the community of nations," said Darryl Jarvis, an expert on Asian international relations at the University of Sydney.
China's hopes of being counted among the major players on the global political stage is natural given its increasing prestige as the host of the 2008 Olympics and a soon-to-become member of the World Trade Organization, according to analysts.
But Beijing also has its own opinions about how the battle against terrorism should be waged, even as it has consistently condemned the attacks on New York and Washington - which killed more than 7,000 people.
Zemin stressed in his call to Musharraf Sunday that the United States should only retaliate against alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden if it has conclusive evidence of his involvement in the September 11th attacks.
The Chinese president said any military action against those responsible for the hijackings should conform to international law, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Zemin also told his Pakistani counterpart that any retaliatory strikes against bin Laden and his al-Qa'eda network should be conducted against "concrete targets".
This appeared to echo previous Chinese statements to the effect that the U.S. action should not hurt innocent civilians.
If the Chinese demand is met in full, it would make a massive U.S. air campaign against terrorist bases impossible to conduct, analysts said.
"It's a veto against the United States conducting bombing raids into Afghanistan," said University of Sydney's Jarvis.
"China is more comfortable with a Delta Force-style slash-and-burn, quickly-in, quickly-out strategy." An air campaign against Afghanistan launched from carriers in the Persian Gulf could do just that.
One of China's biggest concerns is that a full-scale military campaign would drag the United States into the region and keep it there for the long term.
China's prime minister, Zhu Rongji, late Sunday also hinted at just how worried China is about U.S. influence in the region.
In a National Day speech, which dutifully blasted terrorism as a "global scourge", the Prime Minister also attacked "hegemonism".
This rather academic expression is official lingo describing China's fears that the United States has become too powerful in the post-Cold War world, said AFP.
"We oppose hegemonism and power politics and work for the establishment of a just and rational new international political and economic order," Rongji said.
"We will make staunch and unremitting efforts together with the people of other countries to build a fine world of lasting peace and universal prosperity," Zhu said.
Prior to the September 11th attacks, China and the United States were only beginning to recover from a serious stand-off triggered by the emergency landing of a U.S. spy plane on Chinese territory.
China is still worried about U.S. plans to develop an anti-missile defense system, which could erase China's tiny second-strike capability.
Zemin's phone conversation with Musharraf also suggested China, apart from opposition to U.S. power, has more concrete worries closer to home.
As a gesture of support, Zemin said China would send $1.21 million worth of emergency aid to Pakistan, which is sitting on an Afghan refugee time bomb.
China is worried about a potential Afghan refugee problem, not least of which are fears that Afghans winding up inside its borders might hook up with its own Muslim independence seekers in its northwest desert region of Xinjiang, analysts said.
In a reflection of jitters over a possible spillover of Afghans, large numbers of People's Liberation Army troops have been seen on the move in Xinjiang in recent days, according to local officials.
Indications are that China stands ready to step up its preparedness if the situation in the region intensifies.
The foreign ministry last week hinted that while China's border with Pakistan was not closed as widely reported, the crossing could be shut down at a moment's notice.
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