China has been quite busy denouncing the United States in the past two weeks, through both diplomatic and propaganda channels.
Its top diplomat Wang Yi sternly criticized the United States at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Feb. 17-19.
That was followed by attacks in Chinese state media, including a popular TV news anchor slamming the United States for “blatant plunder.” Finally, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman accused the United States of profiteering, claiming the U.S. is the biggest supplier of weapons for the Russia-Ukraine war.
Top Diplomat Demands US ‘Correct Its Mistakes’
The CCP’s recently appointed foreign affairs chief Wang Yi spoke at the Munich Security Meeting on Feb. 18, blaming the United States for damaging the U.S.–China relations with “hysterical” behavior.Wang was commenting on the Chinese spy balloon shot down by the Pentagon.
“To have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behavior is unbelievable, almost hysterical,” he said.
“There are so many balloons all over the world, and various countries have them, so is the United States going to shoot all of them down?” Wang continued. “We ask the U.S. to show its sincerity and correct its mistakes, face up and resolve this incident, which has damaged Sino-U.S. relations.”
Wang Stresses Strength of China–Russia Relationship
Wang stressed that both sides should be “committed to openness and cooperation, against decoupling and severing industrial and supply chains, and work together to ensure the stability of the global industrial and supply chain,” said a Chinese embassy statement.Earlier, speaking at a panel at the conference, Wang reiterated a call for dialogue and suggested that European countries “think calmly” about how to end the war.
He also said there were “some forces that seemingly don’t want negotiations to succeed, or for the war to end soon,” without specifying to whom he was referring.
Foreign Ministry: US ‘Biggest Source of Weaponry’ in Ukraine
On Feb. 23, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hosted a regular press conference. In response to a question about the Biden administration’s intelligence that the CCP may be considering providing arms support to Russia, Wang said that the United States was “chasing shadows and smearing” China, and claimed that the United States was the “biggest source of weaponry” on the battlefield in Ukraine.‘A $100 Bill Is Worth Only 17 Cents’
On Feb. 21, the CCP’s Xinhua News Agency published a commentary claiming that the United States “has abused its hegemony to the extreme” and “has stood on the opposite side of the world’s progressive trend.” It accused the United States of being “the biggest troublemaker, order destroyer, and tragedy maker on the world stage.”“With a $100 bill which costs only 17 cents to print, the United States makes other countries provide it with goods or services worth $100. Isn’t it blatant plunder?” he said, criticizing the “economic hegemony” of the United States.
His remarks sparked widespread discussion on the Chinese internet. Soon after, Chinese news portal NetEase published a netizen’s rebuttal article against Kang.
“The cost of production of a $100 bill and the value of $100 are two different concepts, as any junior high school graduates should know,” the article said. ”The value of a sovereign country’s currency lies in its national credit. It is precisely because all countries in the world trust the credit of the U.S. government, so a $100 U.S. bill with a production cost of 17 cents is worth $100 in goods and services. Conversely, what is the cost of production of your 100 yuan bill? Don’t you also ask people to provide goods or services equivalent to 100 yuan when you pay in RMB?”
China Expert: CCP’s Strategy Is Three Fold
U.S.-based China expert and current affairs commentator Shi Shan recently told NTD Television that the Munich conference reflected the CCP’s three major positions. First, the CCP and the United States are engaged in a full-scale confrontation, with escalating conflicts; Second, China hopes to sow discord between Europe and United States. Finally, China is cementing ties with Russia and Iran.Shi said Wang’s Munich speech suggested that all countries should be vigilant about their own security concerns, referring to Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. The implication: Russia is the victim in a war provoked by NATO and the United States.
Reading between the lines, Shi said, “When Wang Yi said he supports the autonomy of European policy, he meant that Europe’s policies are not drafted independently and are controlled by the United States and NATO.”
Further, Shi said, Wang’s statement that peace should be achieved through dialogue and negotiation was similar to a recent statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Wang’s statement that China opposes “attacks on nuclear power stations” could be seen as a reference to the Russian army’s occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. However, Shi said the statement could also refer to Iran, “because it is Iran’s nuclear facilities and laboratories that always get destroyed or attacked. So the CCP’s proposal is tantamount to speaking for Iran.”
China’s strategic aims are revealed in Wang’s speech, Shi stressed, saying that the CCP is determined to confront the United States, the UK, and Japan. Further, it hopes to form an authoritarian group together with Russia and Iran; and finally, it hopes to win over Europe, dividing the Western camp.
