Paul Chong                                                                     Tuesday, 3 October 2017

Around the last quarter of 2017, China’s official media agency Xinhua debuted #XIPLOMACY on Twitter. It’s difficult to fastrack the use of this terminology of diplomacy globally, particularly with the West. Nonetheless, seeing how Xi Jinping, the President of China, conducts himself in contrast to the ways of the West, this terminalogy “Xiplomacy” may surely come to be accepted & used.

Inspiration is a funny spark of activity. I was in bed when suddenly I woke up at 2.00 am with the urge to write. So next I found myself sitting in front of my 27 inch iMac with a  pleasant stream of classical Chinese music in the background.
It’s strange because for months, I get this mental block without a thing to write. And I could be just sitting & gazing blankly at my computer screen.

I am no politician nor am I a diplomat. I say or write what I mean & mean what I say or write. This is otherwise with the men who purported rule the country or the world . . . a class of people with the most plausible rhetoric. Can we really trust a politician or a diplomat? I think not. Pardon me for saying that the American team of politicians & diplomats are more than actors who strut the world stage with great impression. Naturally good at public speaking, they can thrill & spill capturing the audience. Audience can be lured into oblivion.

Diplomacy is defined as the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country’s representatives abroad . . . the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and tactful way. All hidden agenda are camouflaged. You’d say playing the diplomatic game.

Democracy means a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. With due respect & without prejudice, I would say it’s “Demo Crazy” to be plaque upon by a ruling class of minority rather than the majority. The elected few are often selected & chosen by the all-powerful unknown elite who actually are the rulers behind the scene. In US this fact is slowly & surely becoming more evident.

The two really go hand in hand, like a pair of twins & both are spelt with the capital “D”. It’s like the pot calling the kettle black, an expression in the old days when cooking was only by means of burning wood or charcoal. Though with the use of modern gas or electricity no blackness can be seen these days! What’s unseen, unknown or hidden is more dangerous. It’s better meeting with a known foe than an unknown enemy.

Honesty is the best policy, but this ingredient is seldom to be found in the pool of diplomats or democratic politicians.

I rest my case. Let the judge & jury perform their duties & responsibilities. Caution though . . . they can be bribed. Corruption is so rampant. It’s a disease or more of a deadly cancer that eats into every fibre of the body, heart, mind & soul.

“Xiplomacy” may yet rule the day.