Ho Ching, wife of former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, reposted an article on Singapore's commentary platform "Critical Spectator" on her personal Facebook on Monday (21st) targeting Chinese President Xi Jinping. The article said that Xi Jinping "has always behaved like a gangster boss" in the 12 years since he came to power, and now in the face of a tariff war, he continues to launch a "charm offensive" in Southeast Asia, which is particularly ridiculous.
The article, titled "If Xi Jinping hadn't acted like a gangster in the past 12 years, China would have greater global influence today," was written by Polish commentator Michael Petraeus. He argued that the fact that "the emperor himself" (Xi Jinping) actually asked for cooperation from neighboring countries that he had "ruthlessly plundered" for more than a decade exposed how dire China's current situation is. He also called for a boycott of confrontation and trade protectionism, but it was he who violated international law by imposing the "nine-dash line" in the South China Sea on ASEAN countries, claiming that most of the South China Sea belongs to China, building military facilities on disputed islands and reefs, and sending coast guard ships to harass ships from other countries.
The article said that China calls itself a "shining beacon of free trade", but in fact prohibits foreign companies from entering the domestic market, violating many of the commitments it made when it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding state subsidies, intellectual property rights, open markets, and stopping forced technology transfer. Now, when faced with similar measures, China says "protectionism is not good."
Xi Jinping has been described as the Chinese version of Vito Don Corleone (the gangster boss in the "Godfather" film series), always making "an offer they can't refuse" to everyone. Now he actually wants his victims to see him as a friend and partner. In ASEAN alone, China has been transferring production capacity to other countries through its much-questioned "Belt and Road" investments, so-called debt traps, or attempts to dump production at low prices, flooding these countries with cheap goods and bringing their domestic industries to the brink of collapse.
Hard to be an acceptable "Trump alternative"
Now, Xi Jinping has begun calling for a partnership with Europe, but the article argues that China has "abused" Europe no less than the United States, and that Beijing has supported Moscow in the Ukrainian war, "which is actually a war against the West." Just because the international community is dissatisfied with US President Trump does not mean that Xi Jinping can become an acceptable alternative. Moreover, Trump has expressed his intention to reach an agreement with all countries, and once the agreement takes effect, the United States will still be widely trusted to fulfill the agreement, while China is known for treating its partners unfairly.
The article points out that all actions have consequences, and more than ten years of abuse will not leave no trace, as if nothing had happened. China has had decades to prove its sincere support for international multilateralism. "If it really supports it, it has been rewarded today." However, although China claims to attach importance to strategy and long-term development, its international relations are short-sighted and profit-oriented. Therefore, if Xi Jinping expects the international community to choose sides with China in the Sino-US struggle, it is probably just wishful thinking.
