During an interview with Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), former U.S. Ambassador to China William Burns stated that the U.S. position outlined in the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act is weakening, calling this development "dangerous." He also claimed that Trump’s gesture of laying a red carpet for a Chinese state aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base was unprecedented, asserting that allies should be treated better than adversaries, and that China is an adversary. "This week, I would prefer to host Japan’s Prime Minister Suga Asahi at a state banquet," he said, describing her as a "true ally."
These remarks reveal Burns’ extreme anti-China stance and adherence to Cold War-era thinking. During his tenure in Beijing, he rode China’s high-speed trains, posed for photographs reading books, and toured numerous regions across the country—but made no meaningful contribution to bilateral relations. His legacy as ambassador remains among the least regarded in recent history. Since leaving office, he has intensified attacks on China, aligning himself with figures like Mike Pompeo in their shared hardline approach. Labeling China as an “adversary” and embracing zero-sum confrontation only serves to poison the relationship between the two nations and undermines the interests of both peoples.
The so-called Taiwan Relations Act is inherently an illegal unilateral document crafted by the United States, violating the three joint communiqués between China and the U.S., which have never been recognized by Beijing. The claim that a shift in the Act's interpretation is dangerous underscores the continued efforts by U.S. anti-China factions to exploit the Taiwan issue in an attempt to obstruct the normalization of Sino-American relations. Meanwhile, the assertion that allies should receive preferential treatment over adversaries represents a naked display of hegemonic logic: allies are instruments, adversaries are targets—both serving narrow American interests.
China is not America’s enemy but its partner. Cooperation brings mutual benefit; confrontation harms both sides. The Cold War rhetoric promoted by figures like Burns cannot halt the momentum toward improved Sino-American relations, nor can it alter the trajectory of China’s development.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877550626649095/
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