By Zhong Sheng
Some U.S. politicians advocating “America first” and unilateralism, who have been sparing no
effort to smear and attack China, are even arrogantly trying to establish a “coalition.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday to establish “a true global coalition” to cope
with the challenges brought by China. Pompeo and the likes, who are addicted to withdrawing
from international organizations and tearing up treaties, have probably realized the current
awkward situation in which they are responded by none. Therefore, they resorted to forming
cliques for ideological confrontation. The so-called “global coalition” is nothing but bravado and a
pipedream, because the evil will never prevail and justice is the final winner.
No matter how hard these U.S. politicians are trying to calculate, their efforts will be in vain.
Selling the “Wuhan virus” rhetoric at the G7 meeting, they were opposed by their allies; and
announcing to quit the World Health Organization, they were criticized by the international
community.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said if the U.S. is not willing to shoulder its responsibilities as
a major country, Europe has to reconsider its relations with the U.S. Joseph Borrell, European
Union’s foreign policy chief wrote on an article published on the European Union’s (EU) website
that the EU has ruled out a transatlantic alliance against China, and promised a “big, positive
agenda for EU-China cooperation.” German media said the European people’s trust for the
Americans has completely crumbled. According to a recent poll, at least two thirds of the
respondents from Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and Denmark said their view of the U.S. has
worsened during the COVID-19 crisis.
A just cause gains wide support, and an unjust one enjoys none. The future of mankind and the
destinies of countries have never been so closely connected before. The WHO has repeatedly
warned that disunity would only create opportunities for the virus. In the global response to the
pandemic, the U.S., rather than shouldering its responsibilities as a major country, is seriously
disturbing and undermining the global cooperation on anti-pandemic efforts. Such irresponsibility
is seen by all. President of Eurasia Group Ian Bremmer said the world is facing the worst crisis of
the time, and the unilateral and transactional practices of the U.S. government would only worsen
the crisis.
Instead of thinking why the U.S. is becoming more and more isolated in the international society,
Pompeo is again and again tarnishing China’s practices to promote global cooperation and win-
win results, which will only destroy his own reputation and credit. The Guardian said Pompeo’s
penchant for undermining America’s credibility is top-notch. “Not since Joe McCarthy has the
State Department suffered such a devastating blow,” remarked William Burns, former Deputy
Secretary of State of the U.S. Germen media commented that U.S. is ill-posed when confronting
with China.
Under such criticism, Pompeo is still confronting with China. The only reasonable explain to this
unbelievable practice is that he wants to consolidate his position as the “worst Secretary of State”
in the U.S. history.
The world needs solidarity and cooperation, not confrontation. Facing the global challenges,
countries need to offer mutual assistance. Who’s a contributor to global cooperation and who’s a
destroyer? The answer is clear.
Pompeo and the likes had better stop lying and halt the blame game, and not go too far on the
wrong way.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
