BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) — In its latest attempt to swear black is white, some Washington politicians have slung mud at China for contributing to fragmenting the global economy, according to some media reports.
That groundless accusation testifies that Washington, in the grip of an obsession with finger-pointing, tends to blame others for almost any problems with China being easy prey.
Considering what the United States has done all these years in waging trade wars and pushing for technological decoupling, there is little doubt that Washington, not Beijing, is responsible for fragmenting the world economy. But instead of reflecting on its protectionist zeal, it seems that Washington is bent on blaming others.
Despite all the setbacks, economic globalization is a prevailing historical trend, irrespective of people\’s likes and dislikes. Yet Washington is seeking to tailor-make the process for itself, brandishing the stick of unilateralism and protectionism at the cost of a healthy world economy.
According to the Treasury 2021 Sanctions Review, by the fiscal year 2021, the number of active U.S. sanctions designations had increased to more than 9,400.
In the wake of the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, the United States, alongside its allies, has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia, resulting in a global energy crisis that has hindered world economic recovery from the pandemic.
More ridiculously, the United States has decided to place Chinese companies on its \”entity list\” and Specially Designated Nationals List under all kinds of excuses, which has seriously undermined the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese enterprises and jeopardized the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains.
The United States has been abusing the concept of national security in economic activities. Last month, U.S. lawmakers enacted a heinous political stunt to brand TikTok, a video-sharing social networking company, as a national security threat. However, numerous U.S. users have stood out and expressed their support for the social platform. Most importantly, Washington doesn\’t have even the slightest credible evidence to prove its case.
Washington is also fragmenting the global market by piecing together exclusive economic groups. From launching the \”values-driven\” global infrastructure initiative Build Back Better World, to advocating \”friend shoring\” and forming a chip clique that attempts to kick China out of the game, the United States has been erecting walls along an ideological line in the world economy.
Worse still, Washington is paralyzing global economic governance. Official data showed that in global trade, the United States is the major rule breaker, responsible for two-thirds of violations of WTO rules.
As the United States loses more frequently in cases sued within the WTO, it has tried to subvert the trade organization\’s dispute settlement mechanism. Washington has blocked the appointment of new judges in the WTO Appellate Body, which has consequently suffered from an impasse since December 2019.
As Raj Bhala, Brenneisen distinguished professor at University of Kansas Law School, has said, it is a \”great irony\” that the United States, the \”driving force\” behind the creation of the Appellate Body, has caused the major setback to the multilateral trading system.
Washington\’s slander against China\’s role in global economy is only one symptom of its mania for finger-pointing.
In the eyes of many bigoted Washington politicians, China is even the root cause of many of its domestic woes. Living in dread of losing high-tech supremacy, the United States has leveled unfounded accusations at China for stealing its technologies and persecuted some Chinese scientists working in America. Facing a fentanyl problem more rampant than other countries, Washington has hyped up such toxic disinformation as \”American fentanyl mainly origins from China,\” instead of taking enough actions to stop illegal use and prevent overdose.
However, pointing an accusing finger at others cannot get its house in order. Introspection is the true remedy.