Chinese ambassador says U.S. made 'serious miscalculation' about China

Chinese ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng said the current competition between China and the U.S. is unfair and the U.S. is actually not competing with China but "bullying" China by slapping sanctions, pressuring other countries to curb exports to China and accusing China's clean energy products of "overcapacity."

He stressed that the U.S. miscalculated China seriously and that there is no obsession with hegemony in China's DNA. He also questioned if the U.S. had been aware of the danger of the "Thucydides trap", why should it still jump into it?

Xie made the remarks during a fireside chat with Founding Dean of Harvard Kennedy School Professor Graham Allison on Friday. 

Xie: China-U.S. competition must be fair

As a response to the recent "China overcapacity" theory hyped up by the West, especially the U.S., Xie admitted that there is indeed competition between China and the U.S., but he warned that the competition must be fair. He accused the U.S. of bullying China, saying the U.S. slapped sanctions on Chinese companies according to its domestic law, which "is basically keeping Chinese players out of the game even before it starts."

The U.S. has also asked other countries to ban exports of certain devices and technologies to China. Xie said even under such circumstances, some top Chinese players, such as producers of electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products, have managed to take the lead. "However, the U.S. then accuses them of being over-competent, causing overcapacity and posing a threat to other contestants, demanding they quit the game. This is not fair," Xie said.

He reemphasized that bilateral relationships should not be defined by competition, which could cause strategic risks, and there are many areas for the two countries to cooperate. He said that the U.S. should not merely aim at avoiding conflict with China, as if the U.S. only aims at that, "then we would not be far away from going into one."

"This is like racing cars on a cliff's edge, where conceited drivers are most likely to end up falling into the abyss below. No amount of guardrails would be enough to put a floor under the relationship then," Xie said.

Xie: High-quality industrial capacity is not excessive globally

He talked about China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saying the fruitful outcomes of the initiative have proved that high-quality industrial capacity is not excessive globally, and can generate more effective demands and boost economic growth.

The ambassador said that China's BRI adhered to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, with aims to facilitate the revitalization of all countries and boost common development. He added that China's BRI is not a geopolitical tool, but an open and inclusive platform for international cooperation.

"China is neither Athens nor Sparta. Assuming China would surely tread the old path taken by traditional Western powers is a serious miscalculation, and those believing 'strength determines the intention' are basically imposing their mindset on others," Xie said.

Xie warns: Avoid "Thucydides trap”

As the world is entering a turbulent time and the China-U.S. relationship is grappling with unprecedented challenges, Xie warned to avoid "Thucydides trap", a term put forward by Allison. Xie said that since both China and the U.S. have been aware of the trap, the two countries should avoid it rather than jump into it. 

He stressed China's determination to achieve national rejuvenation through modernization and China's vision to promote world peace and development through building a community with a shared future for mankind, saying China is willing to communicate with the U.S. based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and jointly navigate around the trap.

The two heads of state met in San Francisco last year and formed the "San Francisco Vision" for the future, after which the two sides have resumed dialogues and cooperation in many fields. But Xie said little progress has been made on national security due to the irresponsible attitude of the U.S.

"Although the U.S. side agreed on holding such consultations in principle, it is reluctant to go into detailed discussions. And when pressed, it would just claim 'national security is not negotiable'. This is not a responsible attitude," Xie said.

He urged the U.S. to take earnest actions to implement the important consensus reached between the two heads of state concerning China's concerns. He said that China has fully shown its sincerity for cooperation, and the U.S. should not only focus on its own interests in the process. "Dialogue and cooperation should be reciprocal and based on mutual respect," Xie said.

Ambassador Xie and Professor Allison also touched on the questions of China's anti-espionage law, China's nuclear policy and China-U.S. economic friction. Xie said that legislating on national security is a common practice internationally and China drew on the experience of other countries in enacting relevant legislation. Xie promised that foreign nationals have no reason to worry about their security as long as they abide by the law in China. 

On China's nuclear policy, he pointed out that China is firmly committed to a self-defensive nuclear strategy. China has pledged not to use nuclear weapons first, and follows a policy of not using or threatening to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states and nuclear-weapon-free zones unconditionally. It stands for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear weapons worldwide.

On China-U.S. economic and trade relations, Xie stressed that such ties are essentially mutually beneficial. "A trade war serves no one's interests. Ultimately, American consumers will pay the cost, American businesses will suffer losses, the international economic and trade order and global industrial and supply chains will be rattled, and the global recovery will be dragged down," said Xie.