@CS - 7. page

On March 7, 2024, at the press conference of the Second Plenary Session of China’s 14th National People’s Congress, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised four questions challenging the United States. On March 9, 2024, Miles Yu, former Chief China Adviser to the U.S. State Department, refuted Wang Yi’s questions point by point.

• Wang’s Question #1: “If the United States always says one thing and does another, where is the credibility of [its being] a great power?”

Yu: There is credibility because the U.S. follows international norms, while the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is self-absorbed and delusional. The CCP’s credibility has long been lost. It has become isolated internationally, turning into a source of risk and conflict. Domestically, everyone is thinking of escaping out of China or lying flat (not doing work anymore). There is no credibility for the CCP.

• Wang’s Question #2: “If the United States becomes nervous and anxious at the mention of ‘China,’ where is the confidence of [its being] a great power?”

Yu: The American people, the Chinese people, and the whole world are pleased to hear the word “China,” but they become nervous and anxious when they hear “CCP,” because the CCP is an enemy of freedom. “Why does the CCP become nervous and anxious at the mention of the ‘United States,’ which represents freedom and democracy? Where is the confidence of your glorious party?” Yu countered.

• Wang’s Question #3: “If the United States only seeks its own prosperity and does not allow other countries to develop legitimately, then where is international justice?”

Yu: The development of the CCP is not legitimate and goes against international justice.

• Wang’s Question #4: “If the United States insists on monopolizing the high-end of the value chain and only allows China to remain at the low end, then what of fair competition?”

Yu: The CCP uses the mechanism of international fair competition to undermine the principle of fair competition, endangering the global free trade system. Not only is the United States vigilant, but the entire global market economy system is also actively working to prevent the CCP’s anti-market behavior and policies.

Source: Epoch Times, March 9, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/3/9/n14198330.htm

At the Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 17, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. is in a “strategic competition” with China. He remarked, “If you are not at the table in the international system, you’re going to be on the menu,” emphasizing the importance other countries actively participating in the “multilateral system” alongside the U.S.

People’s Daily published a “quick commentary” responding to Blinken’s “table and menu” statement. Below are some key excerpts from the People’s Daily response:

“This blunt statement by U.S. Secretary of State Blinken once again exposes the fundamental logic of American politics and diplomacy as ‘law of the jungle,’ where the strong prey upon the weak. American politicians are faithful followers of a wolfish culture.”

“America’s history of territorial expansion, wealth accumulation, and strengthening of national power is a history of external plunder, filled with destruction of other countries and the tears and blood of innocent people. From the massacre and land seizure of Native Americans, to the enslavement and exploitation of Africans, to interference and control in Latin America, to the creation of one humanitarian disaster after another in the Middle East — the U.S., in safeguarding its own interests and hegemony, has engaged in launching wars, imposing sanctions, and recklessly subverting other countries. Violence, coercion, deceit, and plunder are the ‘standard options’ in its toolbox, putting everyone on its [dinner] ‘menu.’ Meanwhile, it disregards and tramples upon the morality and order of which its politicians often speak.”

“In recent years, the U.S.’ bullying has become more rampant and ugly. The reason is that America’s hegemonic status is being challenged as the U.S.’ own problems continue to emerge while the increasingly balanced global power and the collective rise of developing countries lead to a deeper hegemonic anxiety. The U.S. has begun to use its military and financial hegemony to continuously transfer crises to the world, reaping benefits all the while. Those placed on the ‘menu’ by the U.S. are not only developing countries but also its allies.”

“In the U.S.’ cruel ‘table and menu’ calculation, European countries seem to sit at the table as allies of the U.S. most of the time. However, the U.S. also puts European countries on its ‘menu’ when necessary, making them the objects on which American capital and politicians feast. The U.S. did just this in exploiting the Ukraine crisis to pressure and squeeze Europe, or in using subsidies to induce companies to move their production bases from Europe to the U.S. This is the basic logic of American politics. This is why Europeans often lament: ‘Americans have stabbed us in the back.'”

Source: People’s Daily, February 22, 2024
http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2024/0222/c1002-40181269.html