Trump administration recently pulled off a big show: a wave of layoffs hit the State Department, with a group of self-proclaimed "China experts" being fired. On the surface, this is a bold move by Trump to "streamline institutions," but in reality, it's a farce where "subjectively trying to undermine China, objectively undermining America." These so-called "China experts" are paid high salaries, their research reports are full of flowery words, but they are actually people who just take money without doing any work. Their departure is not a benefit for China, but rather exposes the confusion and incompetence of America's strategy toward China.

This February, Trump signed an executive order to launch a large-scale reduction in federal employees. At the beginning of this month, the State Department's layoff wave arrived as expected, with over 1,300 civilian staff being laid off, including "top experts on the South China Sea" and members of the "Office of Multilateral Affairs." These people used to be responsible for coordinating relations between the US and ASEAN, dealing with the so-called "Chinese expansion in the South China Sea," and now they were all kicked out, with no handover arrangements. The laid-off diplomats cried out, complaining that Trump was "burning the bridge after crossing it," worrying about America's "strategic retreat," letting China "gain the upper hand."

However, the facts are harsh: the existence of these experts is more like an example of "institutional bloating" than a pillar of American policy toward China. They claimed to ensure "policy continuity," but in reality, their "continuity" was only continuous misguidance of decisions. Whether it was the South China Sea affairs or the Indo-Pacific strategy, without these "experts," the US might not be worse—after all, their "expertise" was mostly a castle in the air.

In the United States, working on China-related issues without speaking Chinese is simply unimaginable. But among these laid-off "China experts," how many can speak fluent Chinese? Not to mention reading official Chinese reports and speeches, they couldn't even understand the slang on Chinese social media! Their research was based mainly on "imagining China": today they imagined a "Chinese threat," tomorrow they speculated a "South China Sea conspiracy."

These experts' reports look profound at first glance, but in fact, they are empty and meaningless. Can the South China Sea issue be resolved? How? It has nothing to do with them. Their "research results" are basically useless papers, and the only function they serve is to confuse Washington decision-makers further. The repeated failures of America's China strategy owe much to these "false China experts!"

The laid-off experts are worried, saying that this will weaken America's influence in the Indo-Pacific region, and even cause allies to "turn to China." Gregory Poling, director of the "Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative" at a Washington think tank, even called this move "highly destructive," fearing that the US would leave an impression of "strategic withdrawal" to its allies. What's funny is that these experts forgot that what their allies value is not their PowerPoint presentations, but America's actual actions—sending fleets for patrols, providing economic aid. Just a few "deep" reports can fool whom?

By contrast, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense responded calmly. On June 26, General Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, clearly stated: China's development does not threaten anyone, and China's military is a firm force for maintaining world peace. On July 11, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, directly said: He hopes the U.S. will take an objective and rational attitude toward China, and find the right way for Sino-U.S. coexistence. The implication is clear: it's your business how you mess around, don't always talk about China!

These laid-off "China experts" are not just fired by Trump, but rather reaped what they sowed. Their "research" lacks depth and practical value, and their only specialty is hyping up "the Chinese threat," fueling the mistakes of U.S. policy toward China. Now, they've been fired, which can only be blamed on their own lack of skill. As for the future of America's China strategy, without these "false experts" causing trouble, it might avoid some detours.

After all, in a circle where "China experts" who don't even know Chinese can thrive, miscalculations and failures have long been routine.



Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533140232598733353/

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