China Shifts Strategy Against the U.S. from Defensive to Offensive

Amid Confirmed US-China Summit, Diplomatic Authorities Release Report Severely Criticizing Opposing Side
Chinese Experts Demand Biden Pay Corresponding Price Over Inflation Crisis

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] As the US-China summit is becoming certain, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has fiercely criticized the United States through a white paper-style report titled "America's Misunderstandings and Facts about China." It is unusual for diplomatic authorities to criticize the other country ahead of a summit. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' criticism of the US is interpreted as a sign that the summit between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping is imminent.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 20th, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a report the previous day rebutting 21 points, including US claims on democracy and human rights, the Indo-Pacific, and China's positions on Xinjiang, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs harshly accused the US of being the greatest source of chaos in the world order. It claimed that the US, relying on its strong military power, violates the principles and purposes of the United Nations (UN) Charter and the basic norms of international relations, causing division and conflict worldwide.

Furthermore, the ministry stated in the report that the US is suppressing China by provoking the so-called "China threat" and interfering in China's internal affairs, all to maintain its hegemony and maximize its own interests.

Regarding Taiwan and the Xinjiang Uyghur issue, the report detailed China's positions point by point. The Ministry emphasized that the US is using Taiwan to contain China, threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Seemingly mindful of the "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" taking effect on the 21st, the Ministry reiterated that the US's false claims of human rights abuses disrupt the international trade order and destroy global industrial and supply chains.

The report also included China's positions on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Indo-Pacific strategy, South China Sea sovereignty, and trade frictions.

Both inside and outside China, attention is focused on the timing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' announcement. The report merely summarizes China's previously stated positions without including any changes or new content. Therefore, the report is analyzed as targeting the Biden administration, whose political standing has significantly diminished due to inflation issues.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The prevailing expectation is that a summit between President Biden and President Xi will be held immediately after the NATO summit (June 29-30). Economic issues such as international raw material prices, global industrial networks, and supply chains are highly likely to be on the summit agenda. China believes that the US needs its cooperation to stabilize prices. The US is the one in urgent need.

In fact, the state-run Global Times cited economic experts saying that the US's price instability reflects policy failures by US officials and argued that the US should be pressured to correct more mistakes it has made.

Gao Lingyun, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said, "As the US is cornered by inflation issues, it belatedly realized that punitive tariffs targeting China were policies that punished the US itself," adding that China does not need to negotiate tariffs with the US side. This is interpreted to mean that the US needs China's help to solve price issues, and China should receive corresponding compensation. There is also an interpretation that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' report is a demand from China for US support in stabilizing prices.

Meanwhile, some argue that although President Biden promised during the March virtual summit with President Xi that ▲the US does not support Taiwan independence ▲allies are not aimed at China ▲the US does not seek a new Cold War ▲the US does not aim for regime change in China, these promises have not been kept, and thus a tough stance against the US should be maintained.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.