US Republican Senator Ted Cruz Photo: IC

US politicians recently said Hong Kong was the "new Berlin," an absurd and unthinkable notion that misinterprets history. The fall of the Berlin Wall was about the division and reunification of Germany. The politicians who have compared Berlin to Hong Kong are trying to draw international attention to China's internal affairs. 

The division of Berlin during the Cold War was the result of conflicts between two different camps and was internationally recognized. At that time, the city was divided into four occupation zones by four powers, namely the US, the UK, France, and the Soviet Union. It has nothing to do with affairs of Hong Kong, which belongs to China. 

Foreign politicians are dealing with Hong Kong affairs with extreme, fanatical ideologies and prejudice. They refuse to look at the situation in Hong Kong rationally and objectively, but rather try to worsen the ongoing turmoil to achieve their goal of separating the city from China. 

US politicians who hold such viewpoints do not help mitigate tensions in Hong Kong, and yet they refuse to stop. They resort to extreme measures that increase chaos hoping it will spiral out of control and receive global attention. They have used the city as a pawn to suppress and slander China. 

Their all-or-nothing mentality and meddling in China's internal affairs with war cries of so-called freedom and democracy are far-fetched. Meanwhile, the US is experiencing domestic chaos and is divided over freedom and democracy - the deep rift between Democrats and Republicans has rendered the country incapable of solving its problems. Deeply affected, US politicians only further divide the world. They see the world as a dichotomy and this only confuses the nation on how it perceives itself and the world.

As the US presidential election approaches, it is not surprising to see the country's politicians behave in such fashion, as they desire the spotlight by making sensational comments. Their actions are an example of sowing discord rather than seeking truth from facts. These politicians should spend more time reflecting on the problems of their country rather than on the problems of other nations, instead of acting foolish.

US electoral politics could have constrained these politicians from rationally regarding different issues. Under this political system, candidates must do anything they can to build a so-called reputation while forging a path to the White House. Due to such a morbid political system, US politicians handle affairs irrationally, and not only with China, but also with the US. Many US policies, remarks, and moves toward China and Hong Kong affairs will only damage the reputation and interests of Washington and Beijing. 

US Republican Senator Ted Cruz recently wrote, "Hong Kong is the new Berlin" for the Dallas Morning News and said, "China poses the most significant long-term geopolitical threat facing America and our allies." 

From his article, we can see that when the US talks about Hong Kong, it is not just about the affair itself or how to end the turmoil but is aimed at using this issue to create greater strains with the rivalry between the US and China. 

US politicians use Hong Kong as a playing card to crack down on China; therefore, they will never have a just, objective, and rational standpoint. To demonize the Chinese central government's handling of the Hong Kong affair is a tactic aimed at complicating the outside environment for the country's development. 

Referring to Hong Kong as the "new Berlin" represents a Cold War mentality and the US geopolitical mind-set, including how they handle Hong Kong affairs and the Taiwan question while launching a trade war against China. All of this has caused Washington to be reluctant to concede policies toward Beijing and have created massive setbacks among China-US relations. 

Meanwhile, politicians like Cruz are stumbling blocks that impede the healthy development of China-US ties and instead raise the devil within the US, which offers nothing but bad news for the benign relationship between both countries. 

The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Xu Hailin based on an interview with Li Haidong, a professor with the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
Newspaper headline: Calling Hong Kong ‘new Berlin’ absurd