Washington should rectify strategic perception of China

Published: September 02,2024

In a meeting with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the U.S. side to develop a right strategic perception of China and jointly find a right way to coexist in peace and achieve common development.

In recent years, the China-U.S. relationship has faced significant challenges, largely due to a flawed perception within Washington as some U.S. politicians see China as a long-term strategic competitor and the “most consequential geopolitical challenge.” Driven by such a Cold War mentality and deep-rooted strategic anxieties, these U.S. politicians have grossly misinterpreted China’s commitment to peaceful development. This misjudgment has led to a confrontational approach that contrasts with China’s consistent message of cooperation and peaceful coexistence.

As Xi reiterated on Thursday, the issue of strategic perception is always fundamental to the China-U.S. relationship. Both sides need to first and foremost find a good answer to the overarching question: Are China and the United States rivals or partners? From the outset of their engagement, the United States and China have recognized the profound differences in their political systems and development stages. Despite these differences, the two countries have over past decades formed diplomatic ties, deepened cooperation based on mutual interests, and worked jointly to contribute to global peace and prosperity.

China will not become another United States, nor can the United States reshape China according to its own preferences. In fact, the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system have received firm support of the over 1.4 billion Chinese people, serving as the cornerstone of China’s development and stability. Contemporary U.S. politicians would benefit from heeding the political wisdom and courage demonstrated by their predecessors in navigating relations with China. Regarding its strategic goals, China has made it clear that it has no intention to pursue hegemony or to replace the United States.

As reiterated by Xi on Thursday, China is focused on managing its own affairs well and will continue deepening reform comprehensively to further improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics that suits China’s national conditions. China follows a path of peaceful development. While realizing its own development, China is also ready to work with other countries for common development, and to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind. Xi’s three principles — mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation — not only serve as the foundation for China’s approach to its relationship with the United States, but also should be a guideline for the future development of bilateral ties.

During their summit in San Francisco last year, Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden reached an important consensus that China-U.S. relations should be stabilized and improved. However, in the realms of economics, trade, and technology, the United States’ approach, like a “small yard with high fences,” has progressively expanded its scope, seemingly without limit. This strategy, ostensibly pursued under the guise of “national security,” has become an all-encompassing rationale, allowing almost anything to be classified under its broad umbrella. The narrative of “overcapacity,” for example, has been used as a justification for various protectionist trade measures.

Beneath this rhetoric lies a deeper issue: the United States’ enduring hegemonic mindset and its persistent misperception of China. The desire for absolute security and unchallenged advantage drives these policies, reflecting an outdated mentality that fails to recognize the shifting global landscape. With its capability and need, China cannot permanently stay at the lower rungs of the global industrial chain, but has every right to ascend towards the medium and high end of the value chain.

The U.S. must acknowledge this reality and understand that China-U.S. economic and trade relations are inherently mutually beneficial, and any attempt to suppress China’s economic and technological progress not only harms China but also inflicts damage on the U.S. economy and global stability, and is destined to fail. 

Xinhua