steadyaku47

Wednesday 17 September 2014

China see the eventual return of Overseas Chinese to China as their final objective.


Last week on "cakap cakap at 5.30 on a Saturday morning" I wrote: 

Another thought has also crossed my mind....Am I being to apologetic for the Malays in my writing? Am I always writing about how the Malays should do this and do that to accommodate the other races and forgetting that integration and working towards 1Malaysia is a two way street? I must be or else these thoughts will not have entered my head. I am resolved to look into this and see if I can restore the balance and write about what the Malays feel about the other races too. This would be an interesting exercise...allowing my mind to wander and delve into the inner workings of the Malay mind...after all I too am a Malay and so I would not have far to travel to do that.

Here is my follow through on that intent:

For the Malays China's global intent is worrying as China flex their considerable economic and military capabilities.  Predictably China begins to look towards the Chinese population overseas with more interest than before to see how 'Overseas Chinese' can play a part in the realization of China's  global designs but first let us look at one aspect of China's robust economic expansion that affects Malaysia directly. 

Because of its export success, China is the world's largest holder of foreign exchange reserves. This stands at USD 3.44 trillion (65% held in dollars, 26% in euros, 5% in pounds and 3% in yen).

As a comparison, Malaysia Foreign Exchange Reserves stands at 136687.50 USD Million in June of 2014.

China uses its reserves to finance overseas investment. In Malaysia China's state owned corporation have invested in Pahang and Johore. 

PAHANG:

Kuantan Port is operated by the Kuantan Port Consortium, a joint venture between IJM Corporation Berhad and China’s Guangxi Beibu International Port Group (GBIPG). 

GBIPG operates four ports in the Guangxi Region. 


The port expansion involves the construction of a new 4.7-km long breakwater, one of the longest in the world to create a sheltered basin for the development of the new deep water terminal allowing for berths to operate safely and efficiently throughout the year.

The Federal Government is investing RM1 billion to build the breakwater.

IJM Corporation Berhad and GBIPG will invest RM3 billion for capital dredging, reclamation works to create new development land, construction of new berths, operational buildings and facilities, equipment and machinery, as well as internal infrastructure.

Kuantan Port is also the catalyst for development of the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP), the sister park of the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, whereby GBIPG is also a key investor in MCKIP"

JOHORE 

In Iskandar Chinese property firms are investing in high-profile projects in the special economic zone. 




Chinese eye Malaysia real estate

How soon before we see China's state owned firm, State Grid, the world's largest utility company make a play for TNB and the IPP's in Malaysia? 

At this rate there will come a time in the not too distant future when Malaysia's economic growth will depend on the continuing expansion of these state owned Chinese enterprises in our country.  

All these economic activities by these state owned China companies are well and good taken in the context of our need for foreign investment to boost the development of our nation's economy. 

What worries the Malays is how these massive financial investment in Malaysia will be used by China's to achieve its global ambitions of being a second superpower after the USA.

One area of contention between Malaysia and China are the submerged reefs 80 km off  Sarawak. The reef lies outside Malaysia's territorial waters but inside its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone but China regards those waters as its southernmost territory, the bottom of a looping so-called nine-dash line on maps that comprise 90 percent of the 3.5 million sq km (1.35 million sq mile) of the South China Sea. 

The probability of armed conflict between Malaysia and China is remote but being Malaysia's biggest trade partner and with significant investments already in place in Pahang and Johore do you not think that that is sufficient leverage for China to have their way with Malaysia? China have already signalled their intentions by holding two naval exercises in less than a year around the James Shoal!

China’s first aircraft carrier, purchased from the Ukraine, refitted and modernised
The Malays do not look at these issues in isolation. The aggressive economic foray into Malaysia and the on going territorial disputes is worrying when we see China ramping up the activities of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council. Here are their stated objectives: 


Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council

I. General Introduction
The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China is an administrative office which assists the Premier in handling the overseas Chinese affairs. The Office' s major responsibilities are as follows:

To study and formulate the guidelines, policies and regulations concerning the works on overseas Chinese affairs, as well as to supervise and check the implementation of them; To conduct research and study on the development of overseas Chinese affairs both domestically and abroad, as well as the relevant work in this regard, so as to provide the information to the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council; To work out the development plan for overseas Chinese affairs work.

To assist the Premier in the administration of the overseas Chinese affairs; To review concerned policies which directly relate the overseas Chinese affairs worked out by the relevant ministries or local governments; To conduct necessary controls and coordination for the overseas Chinese affairs work carried out by relevant departments and social organizations.

To protect the legitimate rights and interests of the overseas Chinese; to enhance the unity and friendship in the overseas Chinese communities; To keep contact with and support overseas Chinese medias and Chinese language schools; To accelerate the cooperation and exchanges of the overseas Chinese with China in terms of economy, science, culture and education.

To protect in accordance with the law the legitimate rights and interests of the returned overseas Chinese and their relatives, as well as those rights and interests inside China of the overseas Chinese; To draft and formulate, together with relevant departments, the guidelines and policies concerning the work of returned overseas Chinese and their family members; To conduct the work of returned overseas Chinese and their family members; To assist relevant departments in the selection of the deputies among the returned overseas Chinese and their family members.
II. Current Leaders
Minister: Li Haifeng
Notice: The English version of www.gqb.gov.cn is under construction.

Updated: Dec. 24, 2009


It states that China intends to defend the rights of the overseas Chinese wherever they are. This was partly due to the inaction of the Chinese government when Chinese were being slaughtered in Indonesia during the May 1998 Riots.  China does not want any Oversea Chinese to be in that position again....and rightly so. 

The question Malays are asking is this: 

When all of the above are taken into consideration it is obvious that the Chinese government consider all oversea Chinese as still being one of their own  - and that they are working on a "development plan" to work with them even as they continue to reside oversea: 

"To protect the legitimate rights and interests of the overseas Chinese; to enhance the unity and friendship in the overseas Chinese communities; To keep contact with and support overseas Chinese medias and Chinese language schools; To accelerate the cooperation and exchanges of the overseas Chinese with China in terms of economy, science, culture 
and education".

China see the eventual return of these overseas Chinese to China as their final objective.

Now tell me, as a Malay, if I should or should not be worried about these developments? The Malays only have Malaysia. The Chinese have Malaysia and China. I rest my case. 

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