China renews warning to US over threats to national interest

Beijing still focused on managing differences with Washington but also strengthening ties with Moscow, People’s Daily article says

Importance of relations with Europe and China’s neighbours also stressed

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China’s foreign policy priorities will still be to “manage differences and focus on cooperation” with the US. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:00pm, 24 Aug 2021Updated: 10:50pm, 24 Aug 2021

With tensions between China and the United States showing little sign of abating, Beijing has warned that it will spare no effort to retaliate over any efforts by Washington to undermine China’s national interests.

But China’s foreign policy priorities would still be to “manage differences and focus on cooperation” with the US, while strengthening ties with Russia, Europe and neighbouring countries, according to an article published by Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Monday.

Written by the party committee of the Chinese foreign ministry, the article blamed the US and its allies for China’s feud with the West and reaffirmed Beijing’s opposition to the idea that the US-China rivalry amounted to a new cold war.

“We resolutely oppose the ‘pseudo multilateralism’ that is unilateral in the name of multilateralism, the so-called rules formulated by a few countries to replace universally recognised international law, and any form of ‘new cold war’ and ideological confrontation,” it said.

Beijing has ramped up its criticism of the administration of US President Joe Biden in recent months, with Chinese leaders and diplomats increasingly vocal and strident over Washington’s alliance-based efforts to curb China.

In a speech to mark the party’s centenary in July, Xi made global headlines with his nationalistic call to redouble efforts to fight American attempts trying to thwart “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”. Foreign powers trying to bully China would “get their heads bashed”, he warned at one point.