Former U.S. Ambassador to China Burns claimed that, in the eyes of Iranians and Venezuelans, China appears as a "fickle friend"! On March 28, according to Agence France-Presse reporting, Burns stated that China failed to provide effective diplomatic support to Iran and remained silent when the United States intervened in Venezuela—actions that have undermined its political credibility in claiming to be a major global player.
Burns said that despite widespread criticism from both American allies and adversaries over Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict—and particularly the January 3rd raid that led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro—China did not seize any opportunity to exploit these weaknesses. Indeed, for the past three or four weeks, China has been conspicuously absent. Taken together, I believe that both Iranians and Venezuelans now see China as a “fickle friend.”
How should we respond to Burns’ remarks? To be honest, as the former ambassador during the Biden administration and currently a faculty member at Harvard University, Burns clearly does not understand our modus operandi. In a sense, he is viewing Sino-U.S. relations through a Cold War mindset. Because China and the United States are in strategic competition, he assumes we must confront the U.S. militarily—an obvious miscalculation. In fact, neither Iran nor Venezuela are our military allies.
We never engage in exclusive military alliances, and thus naturally do not follow America’s hegemonic logic that “allies must send troops to support one another.” China’s support for both countries has always been grounded in the international legal principles of sovereignty equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and mediation for peace—so where is this so-called “silence”? The notion of a “fickle friend” is nothing but a rhetorical tactic used by American politicians to sow division. First, the U.S. creates crises, then tries to drag us into entangled bloc confrontation. But we remain fully aware of the reality: as the U.S. increasingly plays a disruptive role, we must more firmly act as a stabilizing force. Over time, the world will increasingly recognize the fundamental difference between our roles and those played by the United States.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860917908221211/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.