Driving up U.S.-China confrontation won't slow down China's development, says ambassador Cui

An employee works at a heavy-duty truck assembly line of Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group Co., Ltd. in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

"History has proved time and again that external pressure will only lead to greater unity of the Chinese people, stronger cohesion of the Chinese society and better resilience of the Chinese economy," Cui said.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Fueling a confrontation between the U.S. and China will not slow down China's development as external pressure will only lead to a stronger, more resilient China, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.

"Maybe some believe that driving up confrontation could slow down and contain China's development, and even bring about a regime change. This is nothing but wishful thinking," said Cui in a keynote speech at a webinar on issues related to China-U.S. relations at the invitation of John R. Allen, president of the Brookings Institution on Aug. 13.

"History has proved time and again that external pressure will only lead to greater unity of the Chinese people, stronger cohesion of the Chinese society and better resilience of the Chinese economy," he said.

Photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows a container dock in Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao)

"If the negative trend of China-U.S. relations is allowed to continue, China might have to face more difficulties and challenges. But the initiators of the so-called 'New Cold War' must weigh the costs they have to pay and the consequences for the world. For whom the bell tolls, there will be a day of reckoning," Cui said.

"At present, the fundamental question for the China-U.S. relationship is: as China has deeply integrated itself into the current international system, is the United States ready to accommodate China and live with a country with a different history, culture and system?" he said.

"It's fair to say that, with the normalization of bilateral relations and the establishment of diplomatic ties, China and the United States already made their choice, i.e. we need to live in peace, strive for co-evolution, properly manage our differences, expand cooperation, and build a comprehensive, stable and constructive relationship. I hope people will not try to negate all this and let the relationship go down a very dangerous path," he said.

The ambassador noted that those people who like the term "Cold War" so much "should not forget the prices the world paid for it in a span of some four decades, not to mention the bitter costs the United States and other countries paid in the two hot wars, i.e. the Korean War and the Vietnam War, which were fought during the Cold War."

"We should not allow the history to repeat itself," he said.