By Zhong Sheng
The White House recently released new visa rules that limit the duration of travel visas for members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and their immediate families.
It is peremptory political oppression against China out of the strong ideological prejudices and deep-rooted Cold War mentality of the American extreme anti-China forces, as well as another example of the White House’s ignorance to the basic norms governing international relations, violation of the spirit of the three Joint Communiqués, and attempt to abduct China-U.S. relations.
Scholars analyzed that the new rules have sent a clear political signal to start ideological confrontation between China and the U.S., and to break the consensus for cooperation that has been established by the two countries on the basis of their common interests since the “ice-breaking” visit to China by former U.S. President Richard Nixon.
When the U.S. established diplomatic ties with China, it totally understood that China is a socialist country led by the CPC, and the China-U.S. ties were established on the basis that the two sides recognize and respect each other’s social system.
Over the past 40 years, the relationship between China and the U.S. achieved remarkable progress and brought huge benefit to the people in the two countries under the joint efforts of the two countries and their people. It also made huge contribution coping with global challenges and safeguarding world peace, stability and development.
Both history and present prove that the two countries have every reason to cooperate with each other for a win-win future. Their bilateral ties shall never be trapped by the so-called “decoupling” and “new Cold War.”
Equality and mutual respect are basic principles of international relations. China never interferes with U.S. domestic affairs, exports its development mode or provokes ideological confrontation. The U.S. shall also obey the basic norms governing international relations, stop meddling in China’s internal affairs, and cease its efforts to infringe upon the right of the Chinese people to pursue a better life.
The leadership of the CPC constitutes the most essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The CPC, growing from a political party with only around 50 members when it was just founded to the world’s largest with 92 million members, has always relied on the people, serve the people and laid its roots in the people. It shares a close and inseparable bond with the people. Those U.S. politicians trying to slander the CPC and suppress CPC members are indeed turning against the 1.4 billion Chinese people.
At present, some U.S. politicians are trying to decouple the U.S. from China, a country that accounts for 1/5 of the world’s total population. This is nothing different from decoupling from the world and the future, and goes against the trend of history and the common aspiration of the people of the two countries. It will finally hurt the interests of the U.S.
China-U.S. ties are currently at a critical stage of the history. To make the ties healthy and stable conforms not only to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but also the common expectation of the international society. The visionary in both countries understand that the extreme anti-China forces in the U.S. shall never be allowed to politicize or weaponize ideology, or make mistakes on developing China-U.S. relations. The two sides shall uphold the spirit of non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, focus on collaboration, and manage disputes, so as to make steady progress in bilateral relations and work with the international society to jointly advance the world peace and development.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy.)
