【By Liu Bai, Observer Group】

"We cannot ignore China's strength." Recently, former U.S. Ambassador to China Burns warned at an event hosted by the non-profit organization "World Boston" that China's technological, military, and economic power is far stronger than the United States imagines, and the United States can no longer continue to underestimate China.

According to Burns, the Chinese leadership has strategic vision, and in terms of strategic layout, the United States finds it difficult to compete with China. He also refuted the question about "the PLA hasn't fought a war for more than 40 years," saying that this underestimates China's military and technological strength.

Picture of Burns at the event

On the 17th, the U.S. public media institution GBH released a video of Burns attending the event. Regarding the view that some people believe "China has reached its peak," Burns said, "We have underestimated China's strength in the world."

He said that China indeed faces some challenges, but we should not ignore its strength because of that.

He mentioned his experience of taking the high-speed rail in China.

"Firstly, infrastructure, the Chinese high-speed rail is amazing, from Beijing to Shanghai 1000 kilometers only takes four and a half hours, which is incomparable to American railways."

Burns took the high-speed rail to Gansu last October.

"The second advantage is scientific and technological capability, which is a key area for the next few decades. 34% of first-year university students in China study engineering or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), while only 5.6% in the United States. Knowing that China has a larger population... this means we lack real competitiveness in the key technologies of the future."

When talking about China's military strength, Burns said that some people say the PLA hasn't fought a war for more than 40 years, so they are not worth mentioning, "but I have seen the PLA myself, and I think we have underestimated their military and technological strength."

On September 18, Minister of Defense Dong Jun delivered a speech at the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Minister Dong stated that the people who have experienced aggression, bullying, and oppression deeply hate the army becoming an accomplice to hegemonism and a tool for the abuse of force. As a peacekeeping force, the stronger the Chinese army becomes, the greater the forces that can restrain war will be, and the more secure the world's peace and development will be.

Burns also said at the event that the Chinese leadership has strategic vision and can make long-term layouts for ten or even thirty years. For example, for 35 consecutive years, the Chinese Foreign Minister has chosen Africa as the first visit in January every year, showing the Africans that they are a priority for China. In comparison, President Trump never visited Africa during his first term, and former President Biden only went to Angola once.

Burns was impressed, saying that in terms of strategic layout, the United States finds it difficult to compete with China.

"I think China's technological, military, and economic strength is far stronger than we imagine, and we can no longer continue to underestimate them," he said.

Burns said that the United States should maintain civilian exchanges with China. He said that in 2019, there were 5 million tourist visits between the U.S. and China, and in 2022, it had dropped to 190,000, so it is necessary to restore tourism and personnel exchanges.

"Students are also important," he said, that ten years ago, there were 15,000 American students in China, and by 2022, it had dropped to 350.

"I am working to get Duke, Stanford, Yale, and the University of California to resume Chinese programs and exchange programs. I have an advantage in the embassy, as many of my diplomats and officers speak Chinese because they studied in college and went to China. If we continue to reduce exchanges, the next ambassador will not have such a talent reserve," he said.

Burns expressed dissatisfaction with the Trump administration's large-scale cuts to government employees.

"I have worked in the government for many years and have seen the operations of both parties' governments. I understand that sometimes it is necessary to cut costs. But the recent layoffs have been very brutal, directly firing 3,000 diplomats, one fifth of the total number, without interviews, and without a buffer period. Some people were just preparing to go abroad when they were laid off. They were given three hours to pack and leave, which is very disrespectful," he said.

He said that regardless of which party governs the United States in the future, if the president values the federal bureaucracy, these institutions must be rebuilt. "This has damaged our diplomatic capabilities, and China is far ahead of us in this regard," he said.

Burns served as the 13th U.S. Ambassador to China from April 2022 to January 2025. After leaving, he became a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In an interview earlier this month, Burns expressed his dissatisfaction with Trump's decision to rename the Department of Defense as the "Department of War."

"This decision is regressive," Burns criticized, saying that renaming "is exactly what China wants," "China will use this as evidence to show that the United States is a threat to the international order, while China is the defender of peace."

Regarding Sino-U.S. competition, China's position has always been clear. It is beneficial to neither side to hype up competition, and seeking cooperation is essential rather than a choice. Facts have repeatedly proven that cooperation brings mutual benefits, while confrontation brings mutual harm. We need to break out of the logic of competition and confrontation, take into account each other's interests and concerns, seek the maximum common ground for exchanges and cooperation, and draw the largest circle of win-win cooperation, contributing the wisdom and strength of major countries to the respective development and common prosperity of the United States and China, and to the peace and development of the world.

This article is an exclusive piece by Observer Group, and any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553192256056967721/

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