[Correspondent Column] China, England, and Yang Guibi

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The red poppy flower is a symbol commemorating British soldiers who participated in and died during World War I. The United Kingdom designates November 11, 1918, the day World War I ended, as Remembrance Day and commemorates it annually. On this day, British people wear poppy flower wreaths or badges on their chests or lay poppy flowers on graves. The poppy flower became a symbol of remembrance for the war dead starting in 1915. Canadian war physician John McCrae wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields" after seeing poppies blooming around the graves of fallen comrades. As this poem became well known, the poppy flower became a symbol of honoring the war dead.

In China, the poppy flower symbolizes a history of humiliation. The poppy is the raw material for the drug opium. This is why the poppy is called a flower that brings heavenly pleasure and hellish pain. Opium spread rapidly in the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, Britain was running a trade deficit with the Qing Dynasty. Britain paid silver to import tea. The British consumed so much tea that silver became scarce (the Boston Tea Party, which triggered American independence, also stemmed from the British love of tea). Since Britain did not profit from tea trade, it illegally sold opium brought from its colony India to the Qing Dynasty. The money earned from selling drugs was used to pay for tea.

Chinese addicted to opium (Photo by Baidu capture)

The ugliest trade in human history led to the Opium War in 1840. The confiscation of opium by the Qing Dynasty was used as a pretext for war. The Qing Dynasty could not match Britain. British merchant ships armed with cannons devastated the Qing Dynasty’s regular navy. In 1842, the Qing Dynasty raised the white flag and signed the Treaty of Nanjing with Britain. The land of Hong Kong, which was returned in 1997, was transferred to Britain at this time. The Qing Dynasty opened the gates of five ports including Guangzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai, and paid war reparations. Wanting more profits from opium, Britain, along with France, started the Second Opium War in 1856. The defeated Qing Dynasty suffered the humiliation of signing unequal treaties such as the Treaty of Tianjin and the Treaty of Beijing.

The perspectives of China and Britain on the poppy flower are starkly different. In November 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron and his delegation visited China. Each member of the British delegation, including the Prime Minister, wore a poppy-shaped badge on their chest when entering China. The Chinese government requested that the British delegation not wear the badges because the poppy flower reminded them of the Opium Wars, but the British delegation refused. At that time, Chinese President Hu Jintao took a commemorative photo with Prime Minister Cameron, who wore the poppy badge, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with tears in his eyes. From China’s perspective, Britain is merely a country that has laundered its identity from imperialism to liberal democracy.

Opium War (Photo by Baidu Capture)

The broadcasting war between 19th-century hegemon Britain and 21st-century potential(?) hegemon China has begun. When the BBC reported allegations of sexual assault against Uyghur women in Xinjiang and the conditions of detention camps, China strongly protested, calling it fake news. Britain revoked the broadcasting license of China International Television, and China banned the domestic airing of BBC World News. Since the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the British government has been at the forefront of raising issues about Hong Kong democracy and continuously criticizing China’s human rights record. Britain has clearly expressed its intention to participate in U.S. pressure on China, including announcing the deployment of the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth to East Asia. The international situation surrounding East Asia is very similar to that of 180 years ago.

The U.S.-China conflict, which began with a trade dispute, is evolving into a division between China and non-China blocs beyond mere containment of China. China must also make a crucial decision. It should openly disclose the human rights issues pointed out by the Western camp as they are and propose improvement measures first. Economic power alone cannot make a country a hegemon. Only when the world recognizes socialism with Chinese characteristics can China realize the true dream of the "Chinese nation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.