US' misinterpretation of situation persists

Explaining why the United States has opened so many fronts against China, in an interview with Lou Dobbs for the Fox Business Network on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that it is because the US is "challenged by a country with 1.4 billion of people, and its economy has a 6 percent year-on-year growth of GDP and cost millions of jobs in the US".

As always, he offered nothing to prove his allegations that China is stealing jobs, data and technologies from the US.

That being said, if China had remained as poor as it was, or if it were a small country, would they have felt at ease?

To develop such a huge country into the world's second-largest economy over a period of four decades is no mean achievement, not to mention about 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the process. The world, including the US, has also benefited tremendously from China's development.

Moreover, its economic growth has enabled China to play a positive role in improving global governance and resolving the common challenges of the world.

What has turned a development wonder into a thorn in the side of some in the US and prompted them to think that it must be removed as soon as possible by whatever means necessary is the zero-sum mindset these people have, and their fear that the chaser may soon overtake.

They have neither the aptitude nor the foresight to deal with the situation except in familiar ways. So all their dealings with China are driven by an anxiety resulting from a lack of courage to face an uncertain future and their paucity of vision.

Their insistence on the tried-and-tested tactics of the past is unsuited to their purpose and has hurt the interests of the US, and the rest of the world.

On Tuesday, Pompeo vowed to close all the Confucius Institutes－which are testimonies to and promoters of productive cross-cultural exchanges－in the US by the end of this year, a dangerous step to render void all previous efforts of the two sides to promote mutual understanding. All sensible minds in the US and beyond should see this for what it is: a sign that the few speculators on top of the US power pyramid are misinterpreting the restraint and patience exercised by Beijing as a proof of the phased success of their schemes, and are preparing to further intensify their campaign.

As such, they will not only ruin the historical legacy of bilateral relations over the past four decades, but also spell a clumsy end to the two countries' relationship thanks to their inability to envision a future for it.