Political paranoia harms momentum of China-U.S. ties

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. politicians seem to have been preoccupied with delusions about China recently, spreading fear through strange and irrational remarks aimed at demonizing China in the name of protecting their national security.

A former general counsel at the U.S. National Security Agency was quoted by a Wall Street Journal report on Monday as saying "China can harness AI to build a dossier on virtually every American... and we've got a scary potential national security threat." Such remarks are groundless, sensationalist and absolutely irresponsible.

These remarks aimed at damaging China were reported not long after an even more absurd claim from U.S. Senator Rick Scott, who, in a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Dec. 6, requested an investigation into the "threat" that U.S. imports of garlic from China pose to U.S. national security. These claims contradicted common sense and revealed the political paranoia of some U.S. officials when it comes to China-related matters.

The issue of national security has been abused by the U.S. to target China in recent years. Through rumormongering and delusional thinking, without the backing of any hard evidence, the U.S. sanctioned Chinese firms and individuals under the pretext of protecting human rights and U.S. national security.

The latest Wall Street Journal report is another such example, as it frequently used words such as "could" and "believe" -- underlining its speculative nature -- when describing the "threat" or practices of China.

As a matter of fact, the U.S. represents the world's biggest hacking empire and is the leading global cyber thief. The U.S. government has carried out large-scale, systematic and indiscriminatory cyber espionage acts against other countries.

Chinese government agencies face numerous cyber attacks every day, most of which come from sources in the United States. An investigation by China in September 2022 revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency is behind "thousands of cyber attacks" on a Chinese university.

Groundless allegations based on political delusions will harm the positive momentum of China-U.S. relations. They only frustrate attempts to develop a sound understanding of China in the U.S. population and damage the prospects of achieving fruitful people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Given that 2024 will mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations, it is best for some U.S. politicians to get rid of their paranoid thinking and use reason instead of delusion when dealing with China-related agendas.

A rational approach would be good for both countries and the world as a whole.