Photo: IC

To refute US fears that Huawei would send sensitive data records to the Chinese government, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier said on Sunday that "Germany still did not impose any boycott" on the US despite the US National Security Agency's surveillance of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2013. 

Then, US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell hysterically fought back by saying that equating the US government action with that of the "Chinese Communist Party" was "an insult" to the US troops who "help ensure Germany's security" and "the millions of Americans committed to a strong Western alliance." He said there is "no moral equivalency" between China and the US.

First of all, Grenell's remarks were an insult to China and the 1.4 billion Chinese people. It was an extreme statement full of discrimination against another kind of value, race and civilization. Indeed, it is not equivalent to compare China with a hegemonic and inconsistent government full of double standards.

Grenell was also insulting and despising Germany and Europe by forcing European countries to choose sides between China and the US. Washington has been forcing Europe to divide on many issues, and this is completely against European countries' interests. More and more countries have seen US double standards: While the US is hyping Huawei's unfounded spying concerns, it is also spying on its European allies. As time passes by, fewer countries will follow the US.  

The US will insist on targeting Huawei worldwide. However, Germany's reaction shows that the results may not be as optimistic as the US had expected. During the Christian Democratic Union of Germany's convention on Friday and Saturday, Merkel said Germany should not rule out any company due to political problems. Indeed, countries should focus more on objective factors, such as companies' technological security and standards, instead of ideology or political system.

Despite US provocation of China-Europe relations, China is determined to promote relations with Europe. For example, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed on November 6 their support for early conclusion of an ambitious and balanced China-European Union investment agreement. Many leaders from Central and Eastern European countries have expressed their will to deepen cooperation with China. As Merkel said in 2017, Europe has to take its destiny in its own hands.

China has never told Europe to follow China's steps and fight the US. It is the US that has been trying to rope in European countries to oppose China. Washington should not turn Europe into a battlefield of China-US disputes. This is contempt for Europe.

It seems that some US politicians can never get rid of their Cold War mind-set. But 21st century conditions are different from those in the Cold War era, and today's China is not like the Soviet Union decades ago. China is not a threat to any country. China and Europe are victims of US hegemony and protectionism, and neither of them can bear multilateralism breaking down. When facing the US government's words and deeds, China and Europe must jointly maintain the free and open global investment environment to deal with the challenges.