Tuesday, May 26, 2015 A13

Trivial pursuits Reckless challenge Peter Kammerer says while we are engrossed in feeding our inane Mark Valencia says the dire consequences addiction to social media, of a confrontation are not worth the risk we miss making connections for real the US is taking with its provocative flights near Chinese features in the South China Sea very language seems to have a term for them: the looking-down generation, the people, so Emany of us among them, who are so engrossed he CNN-filmed flight of a US in their electronic devices that they walk into others. surveillance plane near Chi- When they’re not scrolling through pages, they’re nese occupied features in the pulling out their selfie stick for a happy snap, no South China Sea has created an matter how trivial the moment may be. Each to their international incident with dire own, of course, but as with any addiction, there’s a potentialT political implications. Indeed, as point where more is being lost than achieved. For too the United States and China exchange many of us, what is disappearing is life. threats, US allies and friends in the region Some parents and teachers realise this: it’s why are becoming increasingly nervous. The they’re confiscating phones and tablets or imposing knock-on effects of a US-China confronta- screen-free days. But adults don’t as often have tion and a resultant sharp deterioration of someone to tell them enough is enough, especially relations would be very damaging to their amid so much gadget fever. When world leaders are economies and security. Essentially, they busy taking selfies with each other, everyone has a would be forced to abandon their hedging Facebook account, Instagram postings become strategies and choose sides. second nature and Twitter feeds are viewed as In Washington, Daniel Russel, the US essential to stay informed, it’s difficult to tear eyes assistant secretary of state for East Asia, away. We all know too much of one thing is not good, said: “Nobody in their right mind is going but how can connectedness and knowledge be bad? to stop the US Navy from operating. That Hip-hop artist Pitbull and rock music singer Roger would not be a good step.” However, Daltrey think otherwise. In interviews last week with Wang Yi ,China’s foreign minister – US radio show host Howard Stern, they claimed that presumably in his “right mind” – told US mobile devices were harming society. Pitbull Secretary of State John Kerry this month contended all the downward-staring was leading that the “determination of the Chinese people to miss the “big picture” – life. He has a rule side to safeguard our own sovereignty and when in family and social settings : “No phones, no territorial integrity is as firm as a rock and it pictures, no cameras – everything stays in your is unshakeable”. mind.” For Daltrey, the constant flow of information, The Global Times, which often reflects often of little or no consequence, was stifling the views of the Chinese leadership, creativity. “When we’re doing nothing is when we get editorialised that “Washington is purpose- our great thoughts, our great artistic ideas,” he said. fully raising tensions with China, a move the incident flew out of Clark Airbase in the even significantly moderating its position domestic constituency pushing it to “You’re never going to get an epiphany when you’re that has created a higher risk of a physical Philippines. This operational support for and actions, or those of other claimants. “stand up to China”. It will have created a being fed stuff all the time.” confrontation between both sides”. The the US threatens Asean solidarity. Indeed, The more muscular US tactic may also situation in which its military prowess and But the inordinate attachment to smartphones is spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry the Association for Southeast Asian reflect its growing concern regarding the the credibility of its security guarantees to also stopping a generation from looking forward, Hong Lei warned the US not to take Nations may be rent asunder over this credibility of its security relationships in its allies and friends are at stake. around and at each other. While we’re checking out a “any risky and provocative actions”. issue. This may have been presaged by Asia as well as the effectiveness of interna- Already, some are calling this issue a pinged Facebook update or reading comments from It is small wonder that former CIA Cambodia’s unprecedented diplomatic tional security arrangements there. The test of freedom of navigation, US treaty haters and thinking up ways to be mean back to deputy director Michael Morell told CNN intervention on the matter earlier this US theory seems to be that China is paying obligations, existing international law and them, we’re ignoring the cooing pigeon that’s landed that there is “absolutely” a risk of the US month. On May 7, it convened diplomats an increasing “reputational cost” for its order, and US preeminence in the region. on the window ledge, the flash of colour as the sun and China going to war. Even UN Secre- from 28 countries to hear Foreign Affairs actions in the South China Sea and will The clamour for a robust response to sets and the cute person of the opposite sex who has tary General Ban Ki-moon chimed in, call- eventually moderate its behaviour due to China will only grow louder as the US pres- been eyeballing us from the other side of the MTR ing on “all parties concerned to resolve international public pressure. idential campaign moves into full swing. carriage. Instead, most of the time, we come away their disputes through dialogue, in confor- However, by its actions, the US may In the incident documented by CNN, with something trivial or not urgent to attend to. Call mity with international law”. have “boxed in” the Chinese leadership, the US has now clarified that its aircraft them lost experiences or missed opportunities; According to former Australian foreign which is feeling internal pressure from an stayed outside the 12-nautical-mile terri- whichever, they are life passing us by. minister Bob Carr, his nation’s business The current US increasingly vocal nationalistic populace. torial sea that the Chinese feature may Anyone who has been around people with drug or community is worried about the risks to its approach is not China may well respond to the current US generate. Under international law, a for- alcohol addiction knows that these are similar economic relationship with China engen- strategy by subordinating its concerns eign aircraft cannot fly over the territory or symptoms. If a device is picked up absent-mindedly, dered by siding with the US. But what may ‘containing’ China or with its “reputation” and even stepping up territorial sea of another country without has to be used in a meeting, while walking the dog, be at stake is Australia’s strategy of being its tactical assertiveness. Indeed, it is likely its permission. Moreover, it is question- during a concert or at the meal table with the family, “friends to both”. even significantly that China will ignore the US gambit and able whether a military vessel entering a there’s obviously a problem. Unfortunately, society Vietnam, one of the chief proponents moderating its actions continue its reclamation efforts. territorial sea simply to demonstrate a doesn’t yet view it that way. of greater US involvement in the issue, The worst fears of the US and others right of passage is “innocent passage”. Friends and family can help – if they can drag may be softening its position. Last week, Le may then materialise if China declares an But the plot is thickening. The Penta- themselves away from their own gadgets long Hai Binh, a spokesperson for Vietnam’s Secretary Soeung Rathchavy tacitly sup- air defence identification zone over the gon has warned that entry into or over enough. Taking devices from children and foreign ministry, said that Vietnam urged port China’s position on settling the South Spratlys – or at least those island features it Chinese-claimed insular territory and its encouraging other activities is good training. And for all parties concerned to respect the sover- China Sea disputes by arguing that territo- occupies – and militarises them. In the 12-nautical-mile territorial seas would be those who recognise they have a problem, there are eignty of coastal states in accordance with rial conflicts should be addressed between worst-case scenario, the US and China the “next step”. some small steps to help with recovery: Not putting international laws and not further compli- claimants and not involve Asean. would become open rivals, the region All we can do now is hold our collective the phone under the pillow at night, reading books cate the status quo. While this could be The US resort to threatening the use of would be polarised, an arms race would breath. rather than Twitter, making meal times a screen-free interpreted as being aimed at China, it military force through its so-called “free- ensue and crises would be frequent and zone and looking at strangers and smiling instead of may also reflect deeper worries that dom of navigation” activities indicates that frightening. Mark J. Valencia is an adjunct senior swiping and scrolling. Society will be better for it. Vietnam may get caught in the crossfire. it has run out of good options. Its current Ironically, the US may then also find scholar at the National Institute for The US surveillance aircraft involved in approach is not “containing” China or itself in a diplomatic corner with a growing South China Sea Studies, Haikou, China Peter Kammerer is a senior writer at the Post

Tributes aside, leftists’ instigating role Beware environmental costs in 1967 riots must not be whitewashed of Chinese investment flood Gary Cheung says the death of a ringleader of the riots exposes polarised views even today Kamilia Lahrichi considers the impact of Latin American rail project

yrics from the Simon and In their condolences, neither actions mounted under the leftist camp has also claimed he visit of Premier Li Environmental Information, prompted an outcry with their Garfunkel classic, The acting chief executive Carrie name of the struggle committee. that the riots sparked the Keqiang to Brazil pointed out that the railroad investment in oil development LSound of Silence – “People Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor nor the In a statement issued in July sweeping social reforms of the Tlast week has boosted would cross the lands of about in an environmentally sensitive talking without speaking, People FTU, which Yeung led from 1962 1967, the committee threw its 1970s. This is to downplay the bilateral trade but is likely to 600 indigenous and protected area in Ecuador. Equally hearing without listening” – may to 1988, mentioned his role in weight behind the bombing social background to the riots. further worsen the reputation of communities. It could also spur controversial, the Chinese- well sum up the divided the leftist-inspired riots. Lam campaign, saying that the “anti- It is worth noting that there Chinese companies for harming illegal logging and encourage financed Nicaragua canal has response to the death of Yeung praised Yeung for his atrocities heroes” had adopted a was already momentum within the fragile environment in Latin drug trafficking. triggered mass protests about Kwong, the ringleader of the contributions to the labour “people’s warfare” which had the colonial government in the America. Chinese companies are fears of environmental 1967 riots and veteran leader of movement, reminiscent of the “exhausted” the colonial mid-1960s to initiate social Li inked 35 trade and already known in Latin America degradation. Scientists said it the Federation of Trade Unions. justification for awarding him government. reform. In early 1967, an investment agreements with for failing to preserve the could threaten wildlife. Pro-Beijing newspapers the Grand Bauhinia Medal, After the anti-British interdepartmental report put Brazilian President Dilma region’s biodiversity and having The transcontinental railroad heaped praise on Yeung’s Hong Kong’s highest honour, in disturbances were quelled, most forward an ambitious reform Rousseff that will see Beijing poor environmental standards. should have rung alarm bells, “contribution to the labour 2001. leftist leaders remained silent programme, including a invest billions in Brazil’s Such claims will only further given that its predecessor, the movement” and people posted The 1967 riots were seen as a and even unrepentant about the mandatory provident fund and decaying infrastructure. This will harm their reputation, which interoceanic highway, tribute messages like “we will spillover from the Cultural excessive actions taken by some social insurance to protect the help build an ambitious 3,500km stems from their investment in completed in 2011, raised similar miss our fellow fighter in the Revolution, which Mao Zedong militants in 1967. To date, Wong labour force. But the proposals transcontinental railroad that extractive industries that cause environmental concerns. The anti-British and anti- launched on the Kwok-kin is the only FTU leader were shelved because of will ease commodity exports to the most environmental 2,600km route runs through the persecution struggle”, which mainland a year earlier. While to have said sorry for the opposition from the business resource-starved China. damage. Andes mountains and the FTU lawmaker Alice Mak Mei- atrocities suffered by innocent community. The railway will run from the Brazilian Amazon. kuen put up on her Facebook people during the riots. One of the unintended Brazilian port of Santos on the In the end, however, Beijing page. As someone who has spent consequences of the riots was Atlantic to the Peruvian port of should not be solely blamed for Meanwhile, some internet nearly two decades studying the renewed momentum for social Ilo on the Pacific. It is supposed Latin America’s environmental users who are critical of the pro- 1967 riots, I think it is time to set reforms to improve working to be completed in six years. damage. Preserving the region’s Beijing camp posted messages Most leftist the record straight on the conditions, which helped This project is crucial to the Chinese vulnerable ecosystem is a joint like “Yeung Kwong, you are a leaders fallacies put forward by the overcome opposition from Asian giant as both Brazil and companies are effort with local governments. murderer with blood on your leftists about the disturbances. business. It is fair to say that the Peru are key suppliers to the Brazil and Peru are keen to hands” on Facebook groups set remained silent They have been arguing that riots served as the catalyst for Chinese market. Lima sends out already known build the transcontinental up by like-minded people. they were moved to act by Hong reform, but were not the cause. copper and gold; Brasilia railroad (Bolivia may be as well, The polarised views of Yeung, and unrepentant Kong people’s social discontent, The riots claimed 51 lives, 15 supplies iron ore and oil. Yet, it is for having poor if the network crosses the who was director of the All- about the pointing to the lack of labour in bomb attacks. But it is adouble-edged sword. environmental country). Circles Anti-Persecution rights protection and the plight oversimplifying matters, and Li and Rousseff signed a China has vowed to invest Struggle Committee during the excessive actions of the underprivileged. unfair, to assume that these declaration on climate change to standards US$250 billion in the region in 1967 disturbances, underscore It is true that such social ills bomb attacks represented the reduce greenhouse gas the next 10 years, and hence is the entrenched division between Yeung led the struggle existed in the 1960s. Yet, when a whole picture. Among the 1,936 emissions but they have Such industries are also a becoming a powerhouse. the leftist camp and mainstream committee, the unrest was 5-cent fare rise for the ferry ride people convicted during the neglected the major common source of social Chinese-financed mega projects society, long after the bombs actually masterminded by the between Central and Tsim Sha disturbances, only 118 were environmental impact the conflict among indigenous could encourage Chinese and bloodied bodies have been Hong Kong branch of Xinhua Tsui triggered the Star Ferry riots found guilty of bombing-related railway is likely to have. The rail people over land rights. companies and Latin American cleared from the streets. News Agency – which served as in 1966, the leftist camp had at offences. network will probably worsen Extractive industries governments to enforce Forty-eight years on, the 1967 Beijing’s de facto embassy in first stood idly by. Editorials in climate change, weaken fragile represent over four-fifths of environmental laws or replace riots still polarise Hong Kong. Hong Kong at the time. Yeung pro-Beijing newspapers even Gary Cheung is the Post’s political ecosystems, erode the soil, Chinese direct investment in lax regulations. In this way, While the leftist camp boasted of was chosen as the figurehead of threw their weight behind the editor and author of Hong Kong’s accelerate deforestation and put Latin America and the China has a great opportunity to their “righteous revolt” against the struggle committee largely colonial government’s Watershed: The 1967 Riots the livelihood of indigenous Caribbean, according to a 2015 drive positive environmental the oppression by the colonial because of Beijing’s preference suppression of the disturbances. communities at risk. report from Boston University change. government, most people for a leftist union leader to The following year, however, >CONTACT US Environmentalists worry that titled “China in Latin America: outside the camp highlighted highlight “the leadership of the after the Cultural Revolution had Agree or disagree with the opinions it will run through protected Lessons for South-South Kamilia Lahrichi is a foreign the killing of Commercial Radio working class”. started, the leftists used the on this page? Write to us at areas in the Amazon rainforest. Cooperation and Sustainable correspondent and recipient of the broadcaster Lam Bun in August Having said that, Yeung labour dispute to launch an anti- [email protected]. The Brazilian organisation, Development”. This includes 70 2014 United Nations Foundation’s 1967 after he criticised the rioters should shoulder some British struggle. If you have an idea for an opinion the Amazonian Network of per cent in oil and gas. “Global Issues” Journalism on his programme. responsibility for the extremist Since the mid-1990s, the article, email it to [email protected] Geo-Referenced Socio- Chinese companies have also Fellowship. www.kamilialahrichi.com