`Chinese dream` should be peaceful global coexistence

The National People’s Congress of China ended Sunday after inaugurating the country`s fifth leadership of President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. In his first official speech, Xi said, “I will achieve China’s dream of reviving the great Chinese people,” saying "Chinese people" nine times and "China’s dream" eight times. Li also pledged to create "a strong powerful country." These statements represent confident declarations by the new leaders of a country that has emerged as a global superpower due to robust economic growth over the past 30 years.

China plans to build "a moderately prosperous society" to resolve problems in clothing, food and housing for its people by 2021, and overtake the U.S. in economic size by 2049 on the centennial anniversary of the People`s Republic of China`s foundation. The new government also displayed hints at using dictatorship for economic development in forcing its people to blindly follow in the pursuit of the Chinese dream.

If China vetoes a resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council to halt bloodshed in Syria and ruthlessly oppresses anti-government activists in China, Beijing will hardly earn the world`s respect. It must follow the same rules in the international community amid the global economic system.

Beijing has a bigger responsibility than ever in the Northeast Asia region. China is in no position to side with North Korea, which has been escalating tension by threatening additional provocation to protest a Security Council resolution adopted after the North’s third nuclear test. China should put diplomatic and economic pressure on its Stalinist neighbor so that the latter is reborn as a responsible member of the international community through dismantlement of its nuclear weapons. Beijing must also immediately stop the inhumane act of repatriating North Korean defectors, who risk their lives to seek freedom.

Northeast Asia is seeing a collision of dynastic energies generated by South Korea, Japan and Russia, the new leadership of the U.S., which wants a return to Asia, and China. The world wants China to act as a responsible country to contribute to global peace and stability, rather than a hegemonic state that creates conflict with neighboring countries.