the “biggest challenge” to the united states is not china, but the united states itself
2024-10-06
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recently, u.s. deputy secretary of state campbell called china the “biggest challenge in history” to the united states at a panel meeting on “indo-pacific power competition” held by the house foreign affairs committee, and claimed that “compared with the multifaceted challenges posed by china, the cold war pales in comparison, and the challenges posed by china are all-round, not limited to the military and technological fields." in this regard, chinese foreign ministry spokesperson lin jian said that the united states views the international situation and defines sino-us relations from the perspective of strategic competition, and it is wrong. to regard china as the biggest challenge is a serious misjudgment of china and sino-us relations. it is neither in the fundamental interests of the two peoples nor in line with the general expectations of the international community.
campbell's words exposed the common problem of many american politicians who "judge others by themselves" when viewing china and judging sino-us relations. when "campbells" look at china, they see only a mirror image of the united states.
in modern history, the development of western countries was based on "hegemony" and "colonization." powerful countries relied on their advantages in force, science and technology to colonize and plunder weak and small countries. after the opening of new sea routes, western countries used strong ships and cannons to force open the doors of asian, african and latin american countries, forcing weak countries to sign unequal treaties and completing bloody capital accumulation. although the united states is a "rising star", its hands are stained with the blood of indians and blacks.
after world war ii, the united states emerged as a global superpower. during this period, countries in asia, africa and latin america awakened their national consciousness and embarked on the path of anti-colonial independence. however, the united states still attempts to maintain and consolidate its hegemony and maintain its control over the world, so as to achieve the purpose of plundering resources and reaping benefits. the logic of this development model is the law of the jungle of "the weak eats the strong" and the hegemonic thinking of "a strong country must seek hegemony". u.s. secretary of state antony blinken once put it plainly: “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
over the past few decades, the united states has invested huge amounts of money and resources in maintaining its global hegemony. but whether it supports proxy regimes or provokes conflicts and wars everywhere, it ultimately ends in failure. the korean war, the vietnam war, the afghanistan war, etc. not only plunged the united states into a quagmire of war, but also encountered strong resistance from the peace-loving american people and people of other countries. at the same time, problems such as racial discrimination, gun violence, the gap between rich and poor, drug abuse, and illegal immigration are intensifying in the united states. financial crises occur frequently and finances are stretched thin. the united states has to adjust its foreign policies and shrink its overseas front.
unlike the united states, china has embarked on the development path of chinese-style modernization by relying on self-reliance and opening up to the outside world. it has not only set a development example for the world with its own peaceful rise, but also made tangible contributions to the modernization of developing countries. . the joint construction of the "belt and road" initiative continues to advance. so far, more than 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations have signed the joint construction of the "belt and road" initiative; brics, sco and other mechanisms continue to expand their membership; the global development initiative, the global concepts such as the security initiative and the global civilization initiative are deeply popular; china's influence continues to increase in regions such as africa, the middle east, and latin america that have long been ignored by western countries. with china's mediation and "endorsement", saudi arabia and iran resumed diplomatic relations, 14 palestinian factions held reconciliation dialogues and issued the "beijing declaration". china and africa are moving towards the goal of jointly building an all-weather community with a shared future in the new era... in global affairs , china is playing an increasingly important role.
the rise of china has panicked some american politicians who are convinced of the "thucydides trap". they believe that china poses a challenge to the united states' global status and voice, and define china as the united states' "main competitor", spreading " "china threat theory" and cobbled together geopolitical "small circles" everywhere to coerce other countries to choose sides. ignoring the fact that china-us industrial and supply chains have been deeply integrated, these american politicians vigorously advocated "decoupling" and "breaking links." as a result, they exacerbated domestic inflation and forced the people to bear higher costs of living. ignoring the fact that their economic recovery is weak, they have repeatedly provide financial and weapons assistance to the ukrainian government, and use the country's taxpayers' money to create greater instability and division; ignore the humanitarian disaster in the middle east and strong opposition from the international community, and condone its ally israel to act in the name of "anti-terrorism" the fact that it has violated the sovereignty and human rights of other countries has dimmed the "human rights beacon" it has painstakingly built, and its international influence continues to decline.
today, social contradictions in the united states are becoming increasingly prominent, partisanship is intensifying, and the two parties have long been unable to reach consensus on solving practical social problems. with the general election approaching, american politicians are frequently blaming china and trying to gain political capital for themselves by passing a series of anti-china bills. this kind of operation that relies on "treating internal diseases externally" will neither help solve the chronic diseases of the united states nor help maintain world peace and stability. only by facing up to its own problems, accurately "prescribing the right medicine", changing its "hegemonic thinking", and withdrawing its indiscriminate "long arm" can the united states make its greatest contribution to its own development and world peace.
source: china youth daily client
