【By Liu Bai, Observers Network】

“The U.S. government needs to better understand China.” David Firestein, former U.S. diplomat and president of the George H.W. Bush U.S.-China Relations Foundation, said in a speech recently.

In Firestein's view, the current U.S. policy toward China has failed because it is based on "completely wrong" assumptions, redefining China's position from a partner to an enemy, thus implementing a series of "decoupling" policies such as technological restrictions. He emphasized that the United States can only reverse the situation by having a "better understanding" of China and formulating more prudent policies that are in the interest of the American people.

Firestein has 18 years of diplomatic experience, serving four U.S. administrations from 1992 to 2010, focusing on U.S.-China relations. He served as an official in the Office of Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of State responsible for East Asia and the Pacific, and also served as a diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in China.

According to Hong Kong English media South China Morning Post, Firestein stated during a speech at the "Center for China and the World" at the University of Hong Kong on November 12 that the atmosphere of meetings between Chinese and U.S. leaders was "constructive," but there are still differences on key issues. Unless the U.S. government changes its approach, this situation will not change.

He said that U.S. policy must be based on a better understanding of China, and the U.S. government needs "more prudent and in the interest of the American people."

Firestein has served four U.S. administrations, focusing on U.S.-China relations

Firestein believes that due to "deep and irreconcilable differences of opinion" on issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, the fundamentals of U.S.-China relations will not change.

"This is impossible," he said, "no matter who enters the White House, the outcome will not change."

He is worried that the current U.S.-China relationship may repeat the mistakes of the past nine years since Trump's first term in 2017.

"(The Trump administration) first created friction, set the tone for a trade war, then later revoked some of these measures, and declared victory."

Firestein pointed out that merely changing the tone is not enough to improve bilateral relations; the U.S. also needs to adjust its perception and policies toward China.

"The substantive content is still unsatisfactory," he said, "unless we base our policies on a better understanding of China and implement more prudent and in the interest of the American people policies, the situation will not improve."

"Only when we do this will we see better results, and the bilateral relationship will improve."

He said that the current U.S. policy toward China has failed because it is based on a shift in assumptions from 10 to 15 years ago, which was "completely wrong."

He pointed out that viewing China as an "enemy" is a major and "radical" shift from the previous positioning of China as a partner or even a competitor.

"From partner to enemy, this is the first fundamental assumption change we have seen. I think it is a significant and radical departure."

Although the U.S. government has never officially called China an "enemy," Trump referred to China as a strategic "competitor" during his first term, and his successor Biden continued this terminology, specifically naming China as "our most formidable competitor."

Firestein said that the U.S. government also overlooked another important fact — China is also an "indispensable partner" for the United States.

"Both points hold true," he said, "the Chinese understand this better than us."

This former diplomat pointed out that the shift from "engagement" to "de-coupling" is reflected in highly restrictive policies such as technology controls, which represent a significant change from the U.S. understanding 20 to 25 years ago, and does not align with U.S. long-term interests.

He said that the U.S. government also believes that "according to the definition of a superpower, China seeks to replace the U.S. as the sole superpower in the world," which is a major deviation from the assumptions a few years ago.

He reiterated that the failure of U.S. policy is because it has not achieved its goals. "The policy is off track because the basic assumptions supporting it are wrong. Therefore, the related policies derived from these strategic assumptions are also misguided."

He also said that anti-China sentiment is used by U.S. politicians to shift responsibility for domestic failures, mobilize voters, and provide ammunition for attacking opponents. Therefore, the U.S. government tends to keep China as an "unresolved issue" rather than a "resolved one."

Regarding the bilateral relationship, the Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that equality, respect, and mutual benefit are the correct way to interact.

On October 27, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister, spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, stating that the U.S.-China relationship affects the direction of the world. A healthy, stable, and sustainable bilateral relationship is in the long-term interest of both countries and is what the international community expects.

Wang Yi pointed out that recently, the U.S.-China economic and trade relationship has again experienced setbacks. Through the economic and trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, both sides clarified their positions, increased understanding, and reached a framework consensus on equal solutions to the urgent economic and trade issues. This once again proves that as long as both sides fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, uphold the spirit of equality, respect, and mutual benefit, and resolve contradictions through dialogue, while abandoning the practice of pressuring each other, it is possible to stabilize and move forward the bilateral relationship. The hope is that both sides will move in the same direction, prepare for high-level interactions between the two countries, and create conditions for the development of the U.S.-China relationship.

This article is an exclusive article by Observers Network. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572759085574013467/

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