[Correspondent Column] The Direction Indicated by Beijing Donggyomin Port

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] There is a street near the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, called Dongjiaominxiang. It is a historic site not well known to foreigners. This street, just over 1 km long, bears the brutal history of 19th-century China.

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China's tea was introduced to Britain in the 1770s. Tea captivated British aristocratic society and later spread to the masses. British tea consumption exploded. Facing huge deficits from the tea trade, Britain began selling opium grown in colonial India to the Qing Dynasty. The money earned from selling opium was used to pay for tea.

The war triggered by the Qing Dynasty's confiscation of opium was the Opium War. The war, which began in 1840, ended inconclusively. The Qing army was so weak that it could not even confront British East India Company merchant ships. The Qing, waving white flags, suffered the humiliation of opening five ports including Guangzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai. Hong Kong was also seized by Britain at this time.

Britain's greed grew even larger. Against the toothless tiger that was the Qing Dynasty, Britain launched the Second Opium War in 1856. France, the United States, and Russia also participated in the Second Opium War. All were eager to carve up the vast Chinese territory. The Qing army, unable to even face a single British merchant ship, stood no chance against the European imperial coalition forces. The Qing signed the Treaty of Tianjin, which legalized the opium trade and opened additional trading ports. This treaty also included a clause allowing foreign legations to reside in Beijing. Dongjiaominxiang street was established at this time. The street was filled with Western imperialist powers' institutions such as legations, banks, hospitals, and post offices.

There were resistance movements such as the Self-Strengthening Movement, the Hundred Days' Reform, and the Boxer Rebellion aimed at escaping Western imperialism, but it was difficult to revive the Qing dynasty. The Qing ultimately collapsed in 1912. Despite the fall of the Qing dynasty, China's trials continued. The May Fourth Movement, the Chinese Civil War, and other upheavals persisted. Although the People's Republic of China was established under Communist rule, the situation did not improve. The Great Leap Forward ended in failure, and the Cultural Revolution further devastated the Chinese mainland.

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Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, global attention has focused on China. Before the invasion, Russian President Putin personally visited China and held talks with President Xi Jinping. There is suspicion that some form of agreement, tacit approval, or at least a discussion not to invade during the Beijing Winter Olympics took place. Upon leaving China, Putin gave the gift of supplying 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. Perhaps because of this, China's stance since Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been ambiguous. China repeats only plausible words such as peace, freedom, common development, consistency, universal norms, the United Nations (UN) Charter, political resolution, dialogue, cooperation, and the community of mankind. This appears to be a self-defensive logic with Taiwan issues in mind.

It has already been well over a month since Russia invaded Ukraine. Civilian casualties continue to mount daily. China must now clearly state its position. It can no longer stand by with worn-out, clich?d words regarding the Ukraine situation.

China has a painful modern history of being oppressed by powerful countries. Because it was powerless, China's modern history was thoroughly violated. A country cannot be respected by economy alone. Only when the world recognizes socialism with Chinese characteristics can the dream of a true Chinese nation be realized. If a Russian street like Dongjiaominxiang were to appear in Ukraine, China would find it difficult to escape responsibility. It would be forever criticized as no different from Western imperialism over 100 years ago.

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