Academic says US-like wars are inconceivable in China’s political system

New Delhi: Due to the principle of “collective leadership,” it is “inconceivable” that China can launch wars like the US did during the presidency of George W. Bush, a senior Chinese academic has said.

Interacting with reporters in New Delhi recently in the presence of diplomats from the Chinese Embassy, senior Chinese academic Prof. Zhang Weiwei — currently the director of the China Institute at the Fudan University — said, “China has collective leadership. It is inconceivable in China’s political system to have a leader like George W. Bush who launched two wars, two silly wars, the Afghan war and the Iraq war, at tremendous cost to the US.

The political structure (in China) will not allow this. It is a collective decision.”

George W. Bush was the President of the US from 2001 to 2008, and the Afghan and Iraq wars were launched by the US in his first tenure in power from 2001 to 2004.  

Prof. Zhang is part of a team of Chinese academics visiting India and their views are being seen as significant even though it is not being officially regarded as the views of the Chinese government.

Another academic from the team, Prof. Lin Minwang — of the Institute of International Studies at China’s Fudan University — had also articulated his reservations on the concept of “Ïndo-Pacific” as well as four-nation “Quad” in the region — comprising the US, India, Japan and Australia.

Foreign policy observers point out that it is well-known that China prefers the term “Asia-Pacific” for the region rather than “Indo-Pacific.” Prof. Lin had raised questions on the inclusiveness of the Quad and questioned why other nations like South Korea or the Asean nations were not invited by the US to join it.  

Meanwhile, Prof. Zhang’s views  on the maturity and restraint of the Chinese leadership are also being seen as significant, given the bouts of military tension between China and its neighbours in the past two years.