China Considers US' Portrayal Of Beijing As Its Rival 'Strategic Miscalculation'

China Considers US' Portrayal of Beijing as Its Rival 'Strategic Miscalculation'

The United States' persistent perception of China as its competitor is a "strategic miscalculation" that distracts Washington's resources from more important foreign political goals, such as regional and international stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2020) The United States' persistent perception of China as its competitor is a "strategic miscalculation" that distracts Washington's resources from more important foreign political goals, such as regional and international stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper described Russia and China as "Primary competitors" of the US. Speaking at the Atlantic Council think tank, Esper said that the US would seek to expand its foreign military sales in a strategy shift necessitated by an onset of "an era of great power competition that is global in nature."

"The United States' attempt to make China its rival is a serious strategic miscalculation that puts its strategic resources in the wrong domains. It does no good to bilateral mutual trust and cooperation, and it doesn't help safeguard regional and world peace and stability," Zhao said at a briefing.

As stated by the spokesman, China never meant to "challenge or replace anyone," and its main priority remains the well-being of its own population, as well as world peace and stability.

"China's policy on the United States has been highly stable and consistent. We urge some U.S. politicians to denounce the outdated Cold-War mindset and zero-sum game mentality, view China, China-U.S. relations and China-Russia relations in an objective and rational manner, and work with China to get the China-U.S. relationship back on the right track featuring coordination, cooperation and stability," the diplomat said.

The United States and China have been on strained terms since 2017, when Washington's updated National Security Strategy portrayed China, a long-time advocate of a multipolar world, as a major threat to the US interests in world politics.

The bilateral relationship further soared in the summer of 2018, when Washington hiked duties on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports in a bid to balance the trade deficit. Since then, the two countries have exchanged several rounds of reciprocal tariffs and waged a brutal economic confrontation with diplomatic repercussions, which is often referred to as a trade war.