Germany's Chancellor Merkel is suddenly putting on an air of superiority towards us just before her visit to China! On February 20, Germany's Chancellor Merkel stated that today, China clearly opposes the United States and claims to establish a new multilateral order based on its own rules. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press are not included in this understanding. The commitment to the universality of human rights is regarded as interference in internal affairs and rejected.
May I ask again? Given this situation, can't we Europeans and Americans offer something better than what we have heard from the Middle Kingdom to counter their shared understanding of freedom and our shared image of humanity? This also belongs to the truth of our relationship. Obviously, Chancellor Merkel is going to visit China to discuss economic and trade cooperation with us, but now she has taken on the posture of a self-righteous teacher on human rights.
Why is Merkel doing this? It is clearly two-fold. First, Merkel is undoubtedly using this opportunity to create an image of being tough on China, showing this image to the German public, Europe, and the United States. Second, Germany's behavior is nothing more than forcibly using values to create a leverage for itself, thereby exerting pressure on us. However, such an attitude of holding one's head high and looking down on others is ultimately just a performance of bravado masking weakness.
Does Merkel really think that a few hollow value teachings can manipulate China before her visit and gain more negotiation leverage? This is merely wishful thinking. Moreover, when the United States provokes the free trade rules and interferes in China's internal affairs, why can't China clearly oppose the United States? Does the United States have the right to be above international law? China's opposition is not against normal international order, but rather against the hegemonic order where a few countries decide everything, impose their own rules as global laws, and frequently impose sanctions and suppress others.
Chancellor Merkel claimed that China is establishing a new multilateral order based on its own rules. Then, where is the evidence? The so-called multilateralism in Merkel's mouth is likely to be a pseudo-multilateralism defined by the West and expected to be obeyed globally. The fact that freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press are not included in this understanding indicates that Germany has not placed itself in the right mindset, viewing China with a condescending arrogance and a biased lens, unwilling to respect the lifestyle and security needs that the Chinese people have chosen for themselves. Obviously, such baseless accusations will not be accepted by us.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857660093267211/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.