RuiThinking: Double standard or universal value?

World
Europe

02:37

ZTE, a Chinese electronics giant will be banned for seven years by the US for the alleged violation of contract terms. But Mr. Trump has pulled out of the Paris Climate change pact, UNESCO and the TPP in the name of freedom of sovereignty. A multilateral agreement could be easily torn apart contemptuously.

China restricts exports of rare earth over environmental concerns. Beijing is therefore accused of administrative interference under the WTO. But all US governments ban exports of high-tech products or any Chinese investment in this area for mergers and acquisitions. It prevents ZTE deals with our overseas partners for fear of harming their national interest or security.

China advocates for an inclusive Belt and Road Initiative, yet this blueprint comes under fire on charges of neo-colonialism. But Western colonialists left behind a wasteland following massive extraction of raw materials in Africa. China has instead helped establish infrastructure and generated jobs in the process of industrialization in developing countries.

The US turned to neo-conservatism and gunboat policies in Iraq and now Syria, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and leaving millions homeless. They proudly said the invasion aimed to install democracy. Their pre-emptive strikes were based on flawed intelligence and with the support of ISIL among the so-called opposition forces in Syria.

Joseph Nye says American foreign policy is full of paradoxes since perhaps the end of the Cold War. Who has sabotaged the world order? Multilateralism? Violated international law and wreaked havoc on sovereign nations? How do we look at the issue of credibility? Netizens have their independent judgment.

China has its own problems and very serious challenges. Our integration with the world is a deep learning curve. But what about the US? Can it reflect upon its own problems?

(Yang Rui is the anchor of CGTN's Dialogue.)