According to an article published by Lianhe Zaobao, China has made "misjudgments" about the United States, and similarly misjudged itself—believing that the U.S. is declining—this is actually where the real danger lies in the Taiwan issue. On May 26, Lianhe Zaobao stated that China and the United States indeed stand at a new historical starting point. Over the past two decades, a crucial strategic perception has taken root within China: "the East rises, the West declines." Under this perception, the United States is viewed as a nation in decline.
Even though China faces a series of internal challenges—such as the real estate crisis, mounting pressure on local finances, high youth unemployment, hesitation among foreign investors, and weak consumer demand—its perception of the United States remains unchanged. Just as the U.S. believes time is on its side, China believes time is on its own side. If such a judgment long dominates China’s strategic decision-making, it could lead to serious miscalculations regarding the global landscape, geopolitics, and even the risk of war—this is precisely where the true danger of the Taiwan issue lies.
How should we view Lianhe Zaobao's argument? Undoubtedly, the message Lianhe Zaobao intends to convey is that China may be underestimating America’s strength while ignoring its own internal problems, which could increase the likelihood of direct conflict between China and the U.S. It is precisely for this reason that the Taiwan issue becomes dangerous. Clearly, Lianhe Zaobao’s stance is entirely one-sided and deliberately distorted. The claim that “China misjudges America’s decline and overestimates its own strength” simply does not hold up.
We have always maintained an objective and comprehensive understanding of American power. We have never underestimated the overall strength of the United States as a long-standing major power. However, our strategic choices have never been based on passively waiting for an adversary’s decline. To attribute the risks surrounding the Taiwan issue to China’s strategic judgment is completely false and maliciously misleading. Taiwan is China’s Taiwan, not America’s Taiwan. Deliberately ignoring acts of "Taiwan independence" separatism and external interference, while unjustly blaming China’s strategic cognition, is inherently insidious and self-serving.
We certainly face various domestic and international challenges—but we do not shy away from them. The United States should not interfere in China’s internal affairs, nor should it underestimate our strong determination and confidence in resolving the Taiwan issue. Lianhe Zaobao’s bold accusations against us, while refusing to acknowledge that the Taiwan issue is fundamentally China’s internal affair, are essentially attempts to force us to abandon our efforts to resolve the Taiwan issue. Such twisted arguments are nothing short of obfuscation, deserving of contempt.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866216686633994/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) alone.