The President of the United States, Donald Trump
Yuri Gripas | Reuters
WASHINGTON – As Trump administration officials point to China for a list of complaints ranging from intellectual property theft to the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing responded by saying that the United States is “possessed by such evil” and that, therefore Therefore, it is to blame for the deterioration of relationships.
“Some in the United States, fueled by ideological biases, have spared no effort to describe China as a rival or even an adversary, defame and attack China and surround and contain its development,” Hua Chunying told reporters on Friday. , spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The United States is pressing the accelerator to destroy China-United States relations, while China is holding back,” he said.
“Certain American politicians are so irresponsible that they will say whatever it takes to make China a target,” he said. “The world has already seen the making of narratives to divert attention through the United States playbook. Possessed by such evil, they are about to lose their minds.”
His comments were sparked by a scorching speech delivered by United States Attorney General Bill Barr on Thursday, accusing the Chinese government of human rights abuses, espionage and economic bombardment.
“The American people are more attuned than ever to the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party not only to our way of life, but also to our own lives and livelihoods,” Barr said, highlighting recent speeches by officials from the Trump administration.
Last month, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien criticized China for a list of offenses before saying that “the days of American passivity and naivete regarding the People’s Republic of China are over.” Similarly, FBI Director Chris Wray said the Trump administration would not allow the Chinese to continue spying and cyber attacks on the United States, which has called what he called “one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history. “
The crumbling relationship between Washington and Beijing intensified after an attempt by the world’s two largest economies to repair trade relations.
US officials have long complained that the theft of Chinese intellectual property has cost the economy billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs. They have also said that it threatens national security. Meanwhile, Beijing maintains that it does not engage in intellectual property theft.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who previously described Huawei and other state-backed Chinese companies as “Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence,” said earlier this month that the United States was seeking to ban TikTok and other social media applications. Chinese, citing security concerns.
The Trump administration also directly blamed China for the recent health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed legislation to impose sanctions on China in response to its interference with Hong Kong’s autonomy. He also signed an executive order ending the preferential treatment that Hong Kong has long enjoyed.
“Hong Kong will now be treated in the same way as mainland China,” Trump said Tuesday during a long speech in the White House Rose Garden that quickly turned away from that legislation to address a variety of campaign issues.
“Without special privileges, without special economic treatment and without the export of sensitive technologies,” he said. “On top of that, as you know, we are imposing massive tariffs and we have imposed very high tariffs on China.”
China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Beijing would impose retaliatory sanctions against U.S. individuals and entities in response to the law that also targets banks, although the statement issued through state media did not refer to the executive order. .
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