Henry Kissinger Photo: VCG

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called on the incoming Biden administration to act quickly to restore communication with China, otherwise the world would slide into a catastrophe comparable to World War I. He said that China and the US are conducting diplomacy in a confrontational way and risk crises that will escalate beyond words and evolve into actual military conflict.

I want to clearly tell the US and Westerners that China really does not want conflict with the US, but many Chinese people are becoming more and more pessimistic. They believe that the US wants to stifle China's development and will continue to provoke China in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Some regional allies will cooperate with the US in doing so. To be precise, the Chinese are making physical and psychological preparations for a US-initiated war.

I hope that all US allies will also heed Kissinger's warning and not go too far in assisting the US in threatening China. Otherwise, once what Kissinger said happens, those allies will be like the grass under the feet of fighting elephants.  

I want to tell the Chinese people that we must not be impulsive, naïve or timid. We are a powerful nuclear country, and we do not take the initiative to start war. It will be an extremely difficult choice for any force, including the US, to impose a war on us. We should do our own thing seriously and strengthen our belief in peaceful development. We should not pursue the idea of teaching the US a good lesson. But there is also no need for us to be afraid of any provocation or pressure. China is such a powerful country. Is there anything we should be afraid of? What will be, will be. China has the responsibility to strive for a bright future, and also has abundant power to let nature take its course.

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn