China may not have allies, but it has many friends

It's puzzling to hear some Americans, such as CNN journalist-analyst Fareed Zakaria, say that China has no friends. If that is true, how come the Chinese mainland, along with France, the United States and Spain, is one of most preferred destinations of international tourists? If the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are included, China is by far the most favored tourist destination.

Just a year ago, China overtook the US to become the world's largest trading country. China is already the largest trading partner of 124 nations; the number for the US is 76. And 2014 figures show it has surpassed the US as the top destination for foreign direct investment.

Do these facts suggest China has no friends? If not, why do Western observers have the wrong idea? Actually, what Western observers mean by "China has no friends" is that "China has no allies bound by security treaties". But nobody can say China has no friends.