Residents gather to take photos on Saturday to observe the historic closure of the US consulate. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 

On Monday morning, as a CNN correspondent was reporting in front of the soon-to-be-closed US Consulate General in Chengdu, he was drowned out by a chorus of "Ode to the Motherland" being sung off camera. The CNN news anchorman in the studio commented, "Everyone is singing happily." He did not know that this is the people of Chengdu expressing their attitude towards the China-US consulate closure spat with their songs. It actually represents the attitude of the mainstream society in China.

The US forced the closure of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston with absurd excuses, unilaterally provoking a round of diplomatic row between China and the US. On July 24, the US law enforcement officers broke into the premises after Chinese consulate in Houston was closed. This is the property of the Chinese government, and the US intrusion is a serious violation of international conventions and tantamount to "burglary". China responded to US provocation with reciprocal measure, closing the US consulate in Chengdu. This was forced by Washington. Washington should not think that they can arrogantly hurt China while China has to swallow the insult. 

The US side should be blamed for this round of rapid deterioration of China-US relations. The closure and takeover of the US consulate in Chengdu by the Chinese side is a completely justified and necessary response that conforms to international law and norms. The move also received support of the general public. It's noted that both the public at the scene in Chengdu and Chinese netizens on the Internet, many saw the incident with calmness, even with a sense of humor. The mood stands in stark contrast to the exasperation of Washington's politicians.

Closing each other's consulate is something that has never happened in the history of China-US relations. It is a sign of the unprecedented deterioration of the bilateral ties. And it did not put an end to the China-US animosity. After the consulates closed, China-US relations continued to fall. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech which was seen as a new "iron curtain speech" against China. US warships and aircraft continue to frequently appear in the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits. Anti-China politicians in Washington seem determined to draw China into a new "cold war". There is no denying that this poses quite a serious external challenge to China.

But Washington's comprehensive maximum pressure didn't crush China, instead, it has led to a new understanding of the US and of China among the Chinese people. Cohesion of the society has been consolidated. Several recent polls have shown that Chinese people have the highest level of support for their government, which is a true reflection of the unity of the Chinese people. Given China's comprehensive strength today, as long as the Chinese people and the Chinese government work together, no country can crush us or defeat us.

When will China-US relations hit the bottom? It probably doesn't depend on us. But what we can be sure of is that every US offensive will be repelled. Now even ordinary Chinese people understand that a healthy China-US relationship cannot be begged, it must be realized through fight. This kind of fight will certainly make China stronger.