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9 fallacies US makes on China

By Zhong Sheng (People's Daily Online)    16:41, October 17, 2018

The President and Vice President of the US recently on many occasions claimed that China interfered with the US election, making groundless accusations on China's domestic and diplomatic policies.

The arguments of the US featuring Cold War and zero-sum mentalities distort facts and lack logic.

Here are some of the fallacies that the US made on China:

Fallacy No. 1: China is deviating from its domestic and diplomatic policies.

Such an argument is nothing but nonsense. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up. The country has made remarkable achievements during the four decades through deepening reform and further opening up. China has embarked on the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics and will unswervingly follow this road.

China will continue to comprehensively deepen reforms and further open to the outside world. Chinese people are now enjoying unprecedented freedom as well as rights and what the Chinese people themselves say is the most convincing. In addition, China will unswervingly adhere to the road of peace and development, and is committed to developing friendly and cooperative relations with each country to promote the construction of a community of shared future for mankind.

The US, with prejudices and bias, will only come to the wrong conclusions.

Fallacy No. 2: China interferes with US elections.

It is pure imagination to say that. In the 1950s, China established the renowned Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which includes mutual non-interference in the internal affairs of foreign countries.

China has always adhered to this infallible law, believing that one should not impose on others what he doesn’t desire. What the Chinese government wants is to improve people’s livelihood. The country is busy with this cause, and has no time or interest to interfere with US internal affairs.

Even international media, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Cable News Network, and Reuters have pointed out that the US accusation was groundless.

Fallacy No. 3: China seeks US media as a place to insert influence on public opinion.

It is a total exaggeration. In fact, what the Chinese media did was not against the US laws, and it has been done by many foreign media. Even Americans have admitted it. The Brookings Institution once said in an article that there was nothing different between the acts of China and other countries when buying space in American newspapers. Yet the leaders of the US were specifically picky on this issue. Obviously, they have special intentions involved behind these actions.

Fallacy No. 4: China is attacking specific American voters through trade countermeasures.

What happened to the China-US trade friction is very clear. The US has been hurting the interests of both others and itself by unilaterally initiating the trade war and adding additional tariffs on Chinese exports. As a result, China had to take counteractions and safeguard its legal interests. It is a justifiable action in the name of defense.

With the US government insisting on a trade war against China, damages are inevitable for US manufacturers, exporters and consumers. The negative impacts brought to American soybean growers have nothing to do with their respective electoral districts. Based on the logic of the US government, all the countries that have taken countermeasures against the US, including its allies, are attacking US voters. So, will Uncle Sam blame these countries for interfering with its internal affairs?

Fallacy No. 5: China is launching cyber-attacks on US networks.

China is one of the major victims of internet threats including hacker attacks. At the same time, it is also committed to being a guardian of cyber security that always opposes and cracks down upon cyber-attacks and intrusions in any form.

People should never forget the surveillance program Prism in 2013.The confidential files made public by Edward Snowden revealed that the US was conducting monitoring activities everywhere, including its allies, and even the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel.

As a matter of fact, the US has not only created a Matrix on the big screen, but is also trying to make one in the real world.

Fallacy No. 6: China is stealing US intellectual property right materials.

China has achieved constant progress in the protection of intellectual property in the recent 20 to 30 years. According to a report issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China was the second largest patent applicant in the world during 2017. Last year, China's external payments for IPR royalty totaled $28.6 billion, up from $1.9 billion in 2001. It indicated China’s sincerity in protecting IPR, as well as the effective results achieved by the country. The US should not ignore China’s efforts.

Fallacy No. 7: China’s establishment of diplomatic relations with countries such as El Salvador is a threat to cross-Strait stability.

There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China's territory. Based on the recognition of this, the US established diplomatic ties with China decades ago. Now, the US has no right to point fingers at China seeing the latter establish diplomatic relations with other sovereign countries.

It must be realized that the biggest threat of cross-Strait peace and stability is attempts at "Taiwan independence". What the US must do is strictly follow the one-China principle and the Three Joint Communiqués between China and the US. The US should work with China to fight "Taiwan independence" forces and their separatist activities, rather than repeatedly send false signals to such forces.

Fallacy No. 8: China is militarizing the South China Sea.

China’s sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters is indisputable. It is not militarization but China’s right to protect and defend itself by pushing forward civil infrastructure construction and deploying necessary defense facilities there.

It is the US that has been strengthening military deployments in the South China Sea under the banner of “freedom of navigation and flight”. The US even sent warships and planes to provoke China. Obviously, it is the US, not China that has been stirring up troubles and creating tensions. The Diaoyu Islands and other affiliate islands are also an inseparable part of China that the US has no right to point fingers at China for conducting regular activities there.

Fallacy No. 9: China creates debt traps for some developing countries.

China always conducts economic and trade cooperation with developing countries with the aim of achieving mutual benefits and win-win results, and upholds the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith. In addition, the country offers assistance to developing countries as much as possible, and is keen on helping improving the capacity of developing countries to engage in their own self as well as sustainable development.

China’s efforts were widely welcomed. At the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in early September in Beijing, African leaders expressed their willingness to strengthen mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation with China, as well as to pursue common development.

Compared with these sincere voices, accusations stemming from the US side simply become so futile and wrong. The US should correct its mindset, stop adopting an envious attitude toward China’s relations with developing countries; and instead, it should make concrete efforts to become a trustworthy partner with China.

The facts are powerful, but why is the US still trying to bring shame on China? US media and think-tanks have given their answer: the US government wants to transfer domestic contradictions, make hypes for the election, and oppress China.

The relationship between China and the US will to a large extent determine the trends of global development in the 21st century and the future of mankind. China has always adhered to the principle of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation in dealing with the relationship with the US. China will enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation and manage disputes to safeguard the healthy development of China-US ties. We hope that China and the US can meet each other half way, rather than turn their backs on each other. 

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)

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