Упрощенная HTML-версия
Author : A. Fomenko
Deputy Dean, Faculty of Educational Studies, the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Assistant
Deputy of the State Duma, RF Federal Assembly
EAST ASIA moved into economic limelight as soon as the Soviet
Union left the scene. By 1993, Japanese banks had accumulated half
of the assets of the world's 500 largest banks; it even looked, at least
to some of the experts, that New York lost its old role of an arbiter
and manager of the financial markets.
The Asian crisis confronted New York that reconfirmed its global
status with a new reality. It turned out that the Chinese umbrella had
been already unfolded over Japan, America's younger brother, as well
as over the new great East Asian sphere of joint prosperity for that
matter.
China's increased economic mass forced Beijing to doctor the official
figures of its defense and economic capabilities so that not to ruffle before time the feelings of
all sorts of Big Seven or even Big Eight.
Russia should maintain special relations with China while keeping in mind that friendship (to
say nothing of love) in interstate relations is impossible.
From the religious and philosophical points of view and taking into account the state building
issue per se the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the CPC were operating in vastly
different or even alien cultural and historical contexts.
At all times, China treated Christianity as a foreign and therefore exotic or even suspicious faith;
in the 19th century, no effort was spared to check its spread across the Chinese territory.
The traditional beliefs syncretic pagan cults of ancestors, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism
went better with the communist theomachic tradition simply because they were poles apart with
Christianity; their ideas of life were purely materialistic and very close to the Chinese state cap-
italism of our days.
Russia should maintain special relations with China while keeping in mind that friendship (to
say nothing of love) in interstate relations is impossible. This fully applies to China, a state of
different numerical strength, different mentality, different religious, cultural, political and eco-
nomic traditions and a different history. Judging from what the Bible or Christian eschatology
say its future is different, too.
Russia can establish normal relations with this billion-strong giant; since no equal partnership is
possible Russia needs strategic cooperation with China.
There is just one condition: the West should not count on its ability to understand the Orient
and even (the cheekiness of it!) assimilate it.
Электронное приложение к журналу «
Международная жизнь
»
Why Russia Is Not China: An Afterword to the Celebrations