The US extended a hand of friendship toward China in the 1970s to isolate the former USSR. The US was helping China to develop its economy, opened the educational sector to Chinese students, American investors were encouraged to invest in China, and high-tech and advanced technologies were facilitated to be transferred to China. In fact, the US entrepreneurs entered into China to capture the huge 1.4 billion market. But just within four decades, they became the market for China. Today, China enjoys a trade surplus with almost all nations including the US.
China used to praise US
I was educated in China and have served in China as a diplomat. I have lived in China for 13 years, but have interacted with the country for almost four decades. I know the Chinese language, culture, politics, and have deeply penetrated into Chinese society. Based on my personal assessment, China was never competing with the US or challenging its hegemony as a superpower. Common people in China used to praise America and almost every Chinese, especially the youth, had a dream to travel to America. There were no symptoms of anti-American sentiments in China.
However, China surpassed the German economy in 2006 and became the third-largest economy, and then surpassed the Japanese economy in 2010 to become the second-largest one. The US was alert and assumed that China might surpass the American economy by 2025 and become the largest economy. Using pre-emptive measures, the US initiated the conflict.
China had no intention to replace the US as a superpower
China is an old civilization and has passed through several ups and downs in history, but the last two centuries saw it become a victim of the Western world and their aggressive policies and colonization. The suffering of the Chinese during the last two centuries has taught it bitter lessons and China has become a mature nation. The centuries-old wisdom and bitter lessons of the last two centuries made China humble, submissive, hard-working, and united.
China tried its best to avoid confrontation with the US, be it an economic war, sanctions, or direct threats, and China acted with maximum constraint and patience. Most of the time, China ignored the American rough attitude and overlooked American behavior.
In fact, this response was aligned with the Chinese philosophy of peace, stability, and development. China wanted to improve its economy, eradicate poverty, improve its health care system, improve its technology, modernize its Industry, and strengthen its defense. China invested heavily in its education sector and the S&T one, and wanted to focus on innovation and high-tech, which any other country can desire too. There were no visible political objectives in Chinese society, and there was no intention to counter America or replace it.
China vs US: The blame game
But the primitive American initiative against China forced it to change its mind and resist any aggressive attitude towards the country. With the outbreak of the pandemic, the US started to bash, blame, and criticize China and even held it responsible for the outbreak. When the Americans crossed all limits of a civilized nation, China had to defend itself.
The US also sought help from its allies like the UK, EU, NATO, Japan, India, and Canada, etc., to launch a campaign against China. They cornered China, pushed it to the wall, and coerced it, leaving it with no option except to retaliate in self-defense.
On the other hand, the US has been involved in criminal acts against almost all countries, be it toppling of the legitimate government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq of Iran in the 1953 Iranian coup d’état orchestrated by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency and the United Kingdom’s, the Vietnam War, Korean War, criminal acts in South America, or Cold War-era crimes against the Communist World. After the transformation of the former USSR in 1991 into the Russian Federation, the US became a unique superpower in a unipolar world. The focus was turned to the Muslim World. The US destroyed Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, etc. The US also launched the Arab Spring to harm the Muslim World.
US vs China: New superpower
As a result, anti-American sentiments exploded worldwide. Even though some of the rulers may show solidarity with the US, public opinion is against America. The current pandemic has exposed American capabilities even further. Instead of helping its allies in the EU or fulfilling its global responsibility, the US has become the worst-hit country during the COVID-19 outbreak. Its wrong policies and negative approach, the number of COVID-19 victims, and the death toll are still increasing daily.
The deteriorating American image has provided a huge space for China to replace the US. At the same time, the miraculous Chinese development during the last four decades has made it a role model for developing nations. Chinese investments under BRI in more than 80 countries have given new hope for developing and underdeveloped countries alike. China enjoys immense goodwill around the world. The US is a declining superpower and China is emerging as a rising superpower.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this story are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of Insider Paper.