Your publication of Mr. Greg Gerard’s letter on Aug. 17 (China: A worrisome partner) marks a new low for WHT editorial standards. Why not use the incendiary headlines of a century ago: Chinese – Need Not Apply?
The descriptions of China contained in the letter — aggressive, hostile, can’t be trusted — are the views of someone who knows nothing of China. Views based on irrational fears and intolerance.
I have lived and worked in China for much of my adult life. A few facts about China to set the record straight:
1. China is a great power. The restoration of its dominance in East Asia was inevitable. Geography dictates its dominance and assertion of its national interests.
2. Hong Kong is China. It is an SAR — a special administrative region — but it is China. Interference by anyone or any other country in Hong Kong is a violation of Chinese sovereignty. The current demonstrations in Hong Kong are largely based on the unique economic realities of Hong Kong. It is an over-crowded city. Housing costs are astronomical. The western media tries to portray the Hong Kong demonstrations as focused exclusively on civil liberties, but that is just a very small part of the picture.
The main issue is affordable housing, especially for young Hong Kong people.
3. The TMT telescope is an astronomical observatory. It cannot be used for terrestrial observations — no matter how high it is placed on Maunakea. Satellites can, and are, used for terrestrial observation; land-based observatories cannot be.
4. The observations of the TMT and most other telescopes are glimpses into the history of our universe. Astronomers are looking at events which happened years ago — for nearby stars. Millions of years ago for events in other galaxies. Very little, if anything is being viewed in real time. Almost everything the astronomers see happened light-years ago.
The idea that China is a worrisome partner in the TMT is just ludicrous. China, Canada, Japan and India are all valuable partners.
The success of China is unique in the history of our planet — 500 million people raised from the depths of poverty to a middle class standard of living in a generation. Not everything China does is successful and there is much more to be done.
However, China is not aggressive or hostile. And China can be trusted — once we accept that China has legitimate national interests. Every great power has national interests and China is a great power.
Kenneth Beilstein is a resident of Kailua-Kona.