My Take | China is not (yet) the equal of the US
- Sometimes, it’s not double standards, just a classic power play by the more powerful player that is the United States
Do Chinese warships go to the Gulf of Mexico?”
That’s an interesting rhetorical question and it was one asked by an angry foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. It was in response to the USS John S. McCain having sailed through the Taiwan Strait this week.
There is, of course, a simple and politically neutral answer. The United States is a global power and China is at most a regional power. That’s why.
Undiplomatically, Zhao said the US had seen only 16 years of peace in its 250-year history and had frequently fought wars under false pretences.
“Back then, the United States fought over a bottle of washing powder and a fake video as evidence,” he said. “In wars against the sovereign states of Iraq and Syria, they caused countless civilian casualties and the break-up of countless families.”
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Beijing hits back at Western sanctions against China’s alleged treatment of Uygur Muslims
Being the world’s hegemon means it can trample through your front yard and backyard and walk into your home wreaking havoc, all done with impunity. Not only that; it’s done for your own good, to liberate you from tyranny and offer you the precious gift of freedom and democracy.