US’ anti-China report deserves retaliation

globaltimes.cn

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Another anti-China report has been issued by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The commission, created by Congress, has in past annual reports proposed extremely negative policies towards China. This year is no exception.

The commission's report recommends that the US invite Taiwan to participate in military exercises and re-implement the US-Hong Kong Policy Act passed in 1992.

The commission's report also calls for expanding reviews of Chinese investment in key US sectors and making Chinese State media representatives register as foreign agents.

From China's perspective, the commission is one of the most hostile US organizations. It was set up before China joined the WTO in 2001 to monitor the possible impact of China-US trade on US national security.

But from the very beginning, the commission has opposed China-US exchanges and those who draft its report obviously hold fixed prejudices against China.

The policymaking mechanism in the US differs widely from that in China. Those who draft the annual report do not place US national interests first. They work to advance their own faulty views, even when they know their extreme suggestions will not be adopted. It's disconcerting to see US policies formulated in the fog of political infighting.

These anti-China reports seem designed only to generate a negative image of China, which in turn creates a preset bias against China among members of Congress and the American public. The most anti-China views percolate out of the US Congress.

Such anti-China sentiments, aided by inflammatory reports from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, could be exploited by those with ulterior motives.

The US system allows the country to lash out at China in any direction. US President Donald Trump has just concluded his China trip with clear and abundant results, while Congress and some media accuse Trump of "kowtowing" to China. Meanwhile, the existing US mind-set toward China prevents the president from truly standing up for his achievements.

Some Chinese people have suggested communicating more with the Americans to help them better understand China, while others believe American society is too complex for this to provide meaningful results. And this is the crux of the long-term impasse in China-US relations - while China sticks to principles and normal diplomacy, US diplomacy is at sixes and nines.

It's not known if this year's report will have any impact on the US' China policy. Ignoring the report may allow the report to generate its desired effect, while a strong reply may negate its vitriol. No matter what the reaction, there are those in the US who will continue to try to contain and disrupt China.

Nonetheless, what determines the trajectory of Sino-US ties is the strength and wisdom of the two countries. After the report's release, there will be more hearings and struggles between different interest groups, all of which only serves to consume US time, energy and resources.

Given the realistic need to deal with the West, China should encourage public diplomacy to open on a new track. In the face of a provocateur like the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the best way to deal with it is to pay it back in kind.