Causing erroneous policies towards China, the crux of the dilemma in Sino US relations: The US holds a wrong understanding of China, the world | China | crux

The crux is that the US holds a wrong understanding of China - One of the series of comments on grasping the correct direction of China US relations

Recently, China and the United States have entered into an interactive mode, where both sides have made progress and reached consensus on certain issues, sending a positive signal to the world to ease tensions in relations. But the frozen feet of bilateral relations cannot be resolved with just one visit. The crux of the current dilemma in China US relations is that the US holds a wrong understanding of China, leading to incorrect policies towards China. The primary prerequisite for stabilizing and improving relations with China is for the US to change its perception of China and approach China's development rationally.

Last November, the relationship between China and the United States faced serious difficulties. The two heads of state met and reached important consensus, which pointed out the direction for promoting the return of bilateral relations to the right track. Shortly thereafter, the trend of improving relations between the two countries was led astray by a series of arbitrary actions by the United States. The US has deviated from President Biden's "four no's, one's, one's, one's" commitments, intensified its pressure to smear and contain China, exaggerated the "China threat," increased the list of sanctions against China, recklessly interfered in China's internal affairs, advocated for "economic coercion" and "risk reduction" to accelerate its "decoupling" from China, woven various "small circles" that exclude China, such as the "Indo Pacific Economic Framework," "Chip Quad Alliance," and "US Europe Trade and Technology Committee Mechanism," and continued to coerce countries to take sides... The dialogue agenda for improving Sino US relations has been interrupted, and bilateral relations have fallen into the lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations. The US should bear full responsibility for this.

Cognition determines policy. Incorrect understanding of China will inevitably lead to strategic misjudgment, causing the US policy towards China to deviate from a rational and healthy track.

The United States made a mistake in misjudging China's strategic goals. Using the template of "a strong country must dominate" to mirror China, and from a strategic perspective, listing China as a "major competitor", and even seeing China as a "threat", is distorting the first button. Going down this path, we see the United States using all domestic and foreign resources to comprehensively contain and suppress China, which is a directional mistake. The fundamental purpose of China's development is to enable all Chinese people to live a good life, not to threaten, challenge, or replace anyone. China's adherence to peaceful development is not a temporary measure, let alone diplomatic rhetoric, but a conclusion drawn from objective judgments of history, reality, and the future. Chinese people do not have the genes to expand, coerce, and dominate. "Wariness leads to downfall" and "national hegemony leads to downfall" are the proverbs believed by the Chinese people. "A strong country must dominate" is not only a misreading of China's development goals, but also an underestimation of China's sentiment towards the country's landscape. Under the guidance of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China and the world jointly build the "the Belt and Road" to allow more countries to share development opportunities, propose global development initiatives, global security initiatives, and global civilization initiatives, and constantly contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to human progress. Robert Kuhn, a renowned American expert on China issues and chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, said that China's development goal is to improve the living standards of all people and share development achievements with the world in various forms.

The United States' misunderstanding of China lies in underestimating the national character of the Chinese people. The US fantasy of dealing with China based on its strength and status is ultimately a miscalculation. Since unilaterally launching the "Trade War with China", the United States has been engaged in a geopolitical game, using every means possible to contain China. It has repeatedly provoked issues related to China's core interests and national dignity, such as Taiwan, in an attempt to force China to accept the United States' "family rules and regulations". However, China has never agreed with the logic that "power is truth", and the US's power logic on the issue of China will only provoke a more resolute counterattack from the Chinese people. The Chinese civilization has gone through five thousand years and has continued to this day. Faced with storms and storms, the Chinese people, who have self-esteem, confidence, and self-improvement, have never lacked backbone, courage, and resilience. Today, the strong Chinese people have enough confidence to face the impact of turbulent waves. Countries must develop mutual relations on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment, respect each other's differences in history, culture, social systems, and development paths, and take into account each other's core interests and major concerns. As former US President Nixon said during his visit to China in 1972, "You firmly believe in your system, and we also firmly believe in our system... Countries and peoples with different systems and values can coexist peacefully, have differences but respect each other." The US should draw wisdom from history.

The United States made a mistake in its perception of China by misjudging the world's trends. In the era of globalization, the interests of all countries are interrelated, and the vast majority of countries are unwilling to be forced to choose sides and stand in line, let alone be tied up in the battle against China. The United States still inappropriately views the world as a geopolitical chessboard, fabricating an unfounded narrative of "democracy against authoritarianism", attempting to form cliques and promote the world's "factionalization". The various actions of the United States go against the trend of peaceful development and are naturally opposed by most countries in the world. A large number of regions and countries such as ASEAN, the European Union, Germany, and France have clearly opposed the "New Cold War". Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern allies of the United States continue to strengthen relations with China. Renowned American companies such as Microsoft, Apple, and Tesla have come to China to expand cooperation opportunities and say no to "decoupling" and "de risk" with actions... History has long proven that in order for a country to develop and prosper, it must grasp and adapt to the global development trend, and vice versa, it will inevitably be abandoned by history. Peaceful development and win-win cooperation are the trend of the times, and Cold War mentality and camp confrontation are unpopular. China actively integrates into the trend of the times, shares prosperity and promotes peace with countries around the world, which is the historical logic of China's development and the fundamental reason for China's increasing influence, appeal, and attractiveness.

The relationship between China and the United States has reached its lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations, which is not in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the common expectations of the international community. The root cause of a series of erroneous words and actions by the United States lies in its problematic views on China and the world, which has led to incorrect perceptions of China. The United States needs to deeply reflect on this. Whether China's development can be viewed from an objective and rational perspective is related to the orientation of the US policy towards China, and also determines the direction of Sino US relations, which will largely determine the future of the world.