Foreign Minister Wang Yi

On March 8, the U.S. network NBC published an article titled "Does the U.S. and China Control the World? China Says: No, Thank You," reporting that China has remained unmoved in the face of Trump's repeated proposals of the 'G2 concept.' This report relatively rarely quoted the Chinese position on international affairs at length.

NBC's Report on This Issue

NBC began the article by summarizing, "For U.S. President Donald Trump, the global power structure may be divided between the United States and China — he calls it the 'G2,' or 'Group of Two.' But China is not so enthusiastic about this concept."

The concept of 'G2' can be seen as a smaller version of the G7 or G20, first proposed by American economist C. Fred Bergsten in 2005 to emphasize the importance of communication between the two largest economies in the world.

NBC stated, "Although this idea was initially welcomed by some U.S. policymakers, it gradually lost appeal in the U.S., including during Trump's first term, as Sino-U.S. relations have experienced ups and downs."

However, since last autumn, Trump has repeatedly used the term 'G2' to refer to the U.S. and China. Although he did not explain how the 'G2' world order would work in reality, it seems to indicate that Trump, and even the higher echelons of the U.S. political establishment, have finally realized how high China's strength and status have become.

With Trump set to embark on his first visit to China during his second presidential term at the end of this month, it is expected that Trump will again bring up the 'G2' concept.

President Lula of Brazil at the G20 Summit

The article acknowledged that the term 'G2' is not a compliment but rather an acknowledgment of China's growing power and its equal status with the U.S. in global affairs and equal voice in international matters (as written in the original).

NBC claimed, "Although this term worries America's so-called allies, who fear being excluded from important decisions." In this regard, NBC specifically asked Foreign Minister Wang Yi about related issues during the time of China's "Two Sessions."

When answering NBC reporters, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, "There is no doubt that China and the U.S. have significant influence on the world. But we must not forget that there are also 190 other countries on Earth."

"World history has always been written by many countries together, and the future of humanity will also be shaped through the joint efforts of all countries."

Foreign Minister Wang Yi's powerful and heartfelt response left NBC with no choice but to admit that Wang Yi "alleviated these concerns."

The article first acknowledged that the reason why China is unwilling to mention the 'G2 concept' is because "when China conducts diplomacy with the Global South (i.e., Third World countries), it often emphasizes the concept of opposing major powers dictating to small countries."

Iranian people donating blood for the injured

But the article also implied somewhat contradictorily that another reason was "if taking on more global governance responsibilities means getting involved in conflicts in regions such as the Middle East, which have long troubled the U.S., China is cautious about it."

Evidently, this is purely an unfounded speculation by NBC still wearing a biased pair of glasses.

Regardless of the Korean Peninsula issue, the Saudi-Iran reconciliation, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, or other international issues, China itself has always followed the principle of resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation, rather than dealing with problems through military intervention or bloc confrontation like some Western countries.

For a long time, what China has emphasized in international affairs is "mediation and promoting dialogue" and "political solutions," rather than shaping the so-called international order through forceful confrontation.

Take the Middle East issue as an example. The region has long been influenced by bloc politics and geopolitical confrontation. China has consistently promoted the peace process in the region, which precisely reflects its preference for promoting regional stability through diplomatic coordination rather than getting involved in regional conflicts themselves.

But the U.S. is different. NBC should reflect on why "these conflicts have long troubled the U.S." Now the U.S. is once again provoking war in the Middle East with Israel. Is this "solving problems" or "creating problems"?

Therefore, the logic is clear. China is the "responsible actor" in global affairs, not the U.S.

Therefore, for China, accepting the 'G2' framework in some way equates to acknowledging that global affairs are decided by a few major powers, which is inconsistent with China's long-standing emphasis on a "multipolar world" and "democratization of international relations."

Although NBC quoted almost the entire statement of Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the report, including China's "never seeking hegemony or expansion," and hoping to build a "fair and orderly multipolar world," and "looking back at history, great power competition and bloc confrontation have inevitably brought disasters and suffering to humanity. Therefore, China will not follow the old path of seeking hegemony as its strength grows. We do not agree with the logic that the world can be dominated by a few major powers."

But it seems that NBC failed to understand the profound meaning of these words.

For example, "there are 190 countries on Earth" clearly emphasizes this point. In other words, China does not deny the importance of Sino-U.S. relations to the world, but it also does not want to simplify global governance into an arrangement between two major powers.

Nevertheless, although NBC "did not truly understand," the article also remarked, "Foreign Minister Wang Yi's answer reflects how China sees its place in the world and its relationship with other countries — including the U.S." These answers are obviously "very clear-sighted," whether for all countries around the world or for the U.S., China has always treated every country equally.

Even though the U.S. frequently stirs up trouble, Foreign Minister Wang Yi clearly stated, "If the two sides turn their backs on each other, it will only lead to mutual misjudgment and miscalculation. Once it slides into conflict or confrontation, it could drag the entire world into it."

An American destroyer entering an Israeli port

Regarding this, as an American media outlet, NBC couldn't help but criticize its own policies, admitting that the U.S. "implementing a global tariff policy has put pressure on Sino-U.S. relations," and the responsibility does not lie with China.

Moreover, NBC emphasized that "an important factor that might interfere with the summit between the leaders of the two countries is the current U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran."

Regarding this topic, NBC also adopted Foreign Minister Wang Yi's statements, saying, "Seeing the Middle East plunge into war, I would say that this is a war that should not have happened. It is a war that benefits no one."

The article also mentioned, "Foreign Minister Wang Yi also opposed the 'abuse of force' and actions violating international law. He said: 'The law of the jungle must not dominate the world again. Using force recklessly cannot prove one's strength.'"

Perhaps moved by these words, NBC specially used the sentence "The law of the jungle must not dominate the world again. Using force recklessly cannot prove one's strength" as the conclusion of the article.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7614755533861732918/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.