By Zhong Sheng
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is really a "lie seller."
The chief U.S. diplomat, with malicious intentions, has never ceased selling his lies,
slandering that China's economic activities and fanning the so-called China threat. His
cliché about China even aroused the dissatisfaction of many foreigners: why the U.S.
Secretary of State never talked about the U.S.
Pompeo's nonsense on China did nothing but merely exposed his evil intentions to
damage the win-win cooperation between China and the U.S., even at the loss of the
Americans' interests.
U.S. politicians' labeling China with so-called predatory economic activities barely
won support from the international society.
It's obvious to all that it is in fact the U.S. that has often provoked trade disputes and
imposed economic sanctions against other countries guided by a sense of supremacy.
China, on the other hand, has always adhered to openness, inclusiveness, and win-win
cooperation, and sincerely welcomed global partners abroad the express train of
China's development, to create opportunities for common prosperity.
China’s reform and opening up have benefited many other economies around the
world—foreign consumers have been granted excess to the high-quality goods from
China, and multinational companies have also captured growth opportunities from the
vibrant Chinese market, according to a report by McKinsey Global Institute.
Pathetically, Pompeo is caught in a twisted logic, driven by a desire for his own
political interests.
"I ran a small business, and we had an operation in China ourselves. We outsourced
our supply chains to places like Shenzhen," Pompeo once introduced his economic
engagement with China.
He went on to say that the world is "awakening" to the threat of China and "we must
take off the golden blinders of economic ties and see that the China challenge isn’t
just at the gates; it’s in every capital, it’s in every borough, it’s in every province."
Obviously, Pompeo couldn't wait to achieve his ridiculous political purpose, which is
to dress the U.S. up as a victim and thus justify his bullying deeds in violation of
international rules.
As the Chinese nation was once oppressed by big powers for a long time, it will never
abandon the commitment to justice nor follow the track of seeking hegemony.
China’s opening drive is not a one-man show. Rather, it is an invitation open to all. It
is a pursuit not to establish China’s own sphere of influence, but to support common
development of all countries. It is meant to build not China’s own backyard garden,
but a garden shared by all countries.
Since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) about
seven years ago, around 200 intergovernmental cooperation agreements have been
signed and more than 2,000 projects have been jointly carried out under the
framework, generating jobs for tens of thousands of people.
No matter what they say, Pompeo and other U.S. politicians couldn't just erase China's
contribution to the world economic growth.
Although the U.S. Secretary of State has distorted the truth and misrepresented the
normal economic cooperation between China and European countries as China's
erosion of the economic sovereign of European countries, facts speak for themselves.
The port of Piraeus in Greece serves as a perfect example of China-Europe
cooperation. The 12 years' operation by Chinese enterprises has not only revitalized
the port and made it the 32nd largest port in the world from the 93rd in terms of
container throughput, but also created tens of thousands of jobs.
Greece has come to a deep understanding of the true meaning of "friends" through the
Piraeus Port cooperation with China, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
noted.
A recent survey indicated that China is one of the top three investment destinations
for over 60 percent of companies from the European Union (EU) in China, and the
Chinese market is considered very important by most American companies in China,
which is a slap in the face for the ridiculous accusations made by Pompeo against
China.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a 4.9 percent decline in the global
economy for 2020 and the World Trade Organization (WTO) pointed out that world
trade is expected to fall by 13 percent to 32 percent this year.
To cope with the global crisis and safeguard world prosperity and development,
countries need to take the road of solidarity and cooperation and pursue openness and
exclusiveness.
G20 members have promised to take all measures possible to stimulate economy;
participants of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China,
Japan, South Korea, Australia, as well as New Zealand determine to sign the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of the year; and China and
Europe aim to complete investment treaty negotiations within the year.
A consensus has been reached that the most urgent task for all countries is to work
together to combat the coronavirus, and to revive the economy and restore
development.
The openness and inclusiveness that China has adhered to suit the needs of all
countries for securing long-term development and are believed to infuse confidence
into the common development of all countries.
The zero-sum game that Pompeo is trying to play on the world stage won't be
supported and whoever attempts to obstruct opening-up and cooperation will surely
be abandoned by the people and the times.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on
foreign policy.)
