Keywords: Sihanouk's life praised by Chinese media, Syrian-Turkish tensions worsen

Sihanouk's life praised by Chinese media

The death of former Cambodian king Norodom Sihanouk, "an old friend of the Chinese people" who strengthened Sino-Cambodian relations in the past few decades, has reminded China of the importance of having "international friends" and provided enlightenment for China's future diplomacy, according to the Chinese media.

Global Times carried an editorial on October 16, saying that looking around the world, China has too few friends like Sihanouk and the country has too many scruples regarding Western diplomatic actions.

"We rarely have the opportunity to express China's values and developing countries' common moral principles.  Of course, China has come a long way from the maverick country in the 1970s that was at odds with both the US and the Soviet Union. It has deeply integrated itself into world systems, upholding a cautious and balanced approach to diplomacy. The era in which an anti-US rally was held in Tiananmen Square to welcome Sihanouk is forever gone," the paper continued.

The comment also held that global integration doesn't mean the abandonment of the things that make China different. The conflict of interest with Western powers is bound to emerge no matter how China tries to downplay them. We need more real friends in the developing world, such as Pakistan.

"China is an open country today. But the memory of Sihanouk's time is still meaningful to us. The friendship with him should still be cherished. Now that China is on a much broader diplomatic stage, it is important that China maintains a brave but balanced stance," it concluded.

The Beijing News reported on October 16 that Sihanouk found the most powerful protection and the most firm support from China when he and his nation had to face the most troubled and distressed time.

China also offered the most vigorous help and investment to Cambodia when it needs to boost its economy, a reason why the former Cambodian king committed himself to maintaining Sino-Cambodian friendship for decades, the report held.

Sihanouk indicated the significance of a leader's role in promoting the bilateral relation, which can guarantee the political mutual trust and mutual support for either side's core national interest, no matter the changes of rulers and time, the report said.

Similarly, China Central Television quoted on October 15 Qu Xing, director of the China Institute of International Studies, that China's acceptance of Sihanouk when his government was overthrown by Sisowath Sirik Matak with the assistance of the US in the 1970 right-wing coup, renewed his life and his political future as he was already sentenced to death by the then government in Cambodian.

China's extending of an olive branch to him made him possible to retake the top position in Cambodia, a reason why the nation could later on develop to be a peaceful, neutral and independent one, said Qu.

China's show of sincerity to offer help when he suffered great hardship based the current and future promising friendship between the two sides, the report said.

Syrian-Turkish tensions worsen

Turkey's increasingly firm stance against the Syrian government, including lashing the UN Security Council for a lack of justice and efficiency in the Syrian crisis Saturday, came amid growing Syrian-Turkish tension. The cross-border exchange of fire in October sparked media speculation as to the ultimate causes.

The Xinhua News Agency reported on October 16 that Turkey's recent high-profile moves might be following the methods France adopted when it headed to handle the Libyan unrest last year.

The report listed four possible reasons behind recent Turkish moves. It claimed that many NATO nations seemed uninterested in direct military intervention in Syrian crisis due to the global economic recession and the presidential elections in some states. Turkey would be a good choice to help weaken the political influence of Syria's al-Assad as it could legally declare a war in the name of self-defense in accordance with the international rule.

Besides, Turkey also aimed to solve the Syrian crisis by supporting the Syrian opposition in disguised form, the report said, adding that Turkey wished to see a settlement as soon as possible, which otherwise could cause a lot of uncertainty to the Turkey itself.

A firm stance over the Syrian unrest in the name of self-defense and guarding national interests could also win Turkey's current administration more public support.

Similarly, the Guangdong-based Nanfang Daily reported on October 16 that Turkey has to take many risky factors into consideration if it is to get itself involved in the Syrian crisis quoting Li Shaoxian, deputy director of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

Li held that the war might cause conflicts among different religious sects in the Middle East and get Turkey entangled in a deadlock like the Vietnam War (1955-75), which might threaten the nation's strength and position in the Middle East.

This issue concerns the Turkish government, and is also the reason why the Western nations did not adopt the "Libya mode" to intervene in the Syrian crisis now, according to Li.

Li also believed that Turkey is also very vigilant to avoid itself being utilized as a tool by the Western nations.

But there is still possibility that Turkey will get involved in the Syrian crisis with NATO's powerful military aid once it binds its national interest to that of other NATO nations.

The International Finance News, affiliated with People's Daily, reported on October 16 that the ongoing conflicts between Syria and Turkey caused last week's mounting crude oil prices by quoting Wen Xueqin, an analyst of the Zhejiang-based Xinhu Futures Co Ltd.

Wen held that the oil price may still climb up in the coming weeks as the Syrian-Turkish tensions once again triggered market concerns about possible supply suspensions.

However, the report also held that the conflict would not have great negative effect to the international crude oil market if the tensions are not escalated as the daily oil output of Syria does not make up a large portion of the world total by quoting Dong Dandan, an analyst of the Beijing-based Everbright Futures Co Ltd.