Xinhua Commentary: China-related bills a smokescreen to cover up U.S. own problems

BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives once again focus on curbing China in the first week after their summer break, approving multiple China-related bills that restrict Chinese companies in areas such as biotechnology. But these bills are only a smokescreen to cover up America’s own problems.
These bills are a repetition of the false narrative of “China threat” and fraught with Cold War thinking and ideological bias. Unable to effectively run their country and serve their people, some U.S. politicians are accustomed to scapegoating others over domestic issues.
The United States is plagued with a number of domestic problems including high inflation and surging federal government debt. Leaving these chronic ills unresolved, Washington puts its energy in the wrong place.
“Some U.S. politicians have neither the interest nor the ability to fix their own problems,” said Shen Yi, a professor in international politics at Fudan University in Shanghai.
Targeted Chinese companies, such as WuXi AppTec and BGI Genomics, have strongly objected to the U.S. bills. They argue that the U.S. accusations are totally baseless because their products pose no security risk to any country. The U.S. moves are nothing but protectionism.
The U.S. bills against China make people recall the “phantom of McCarthyism.” If eventually passed, they will seriously undermine Sino-U.S. relations and damage mutually beneficial cooperation. It’s obvious that a wrong strategic perception of China prevailing in Washington is a key factor that has led to the deterioration of bilateral relations.
The U.S. must abandon ideological bias, respect the principles of market economy, stop advancing the related bills, and stop suppressing Chinese companies.
As the world’s top two economies, the United States and China are highly complementary. It is beneficial for them and the rest of the world that the two countries strengthen pragmatic cooperation. Smearing, scapegoating or suppressing China will yield nothing constructive. ■