Photo: GT

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, held a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the invitation of the US on Saturday.

China's summary of the conversation displayed the common ground between both sides; that is, both countries value China-US relations and are willing to develop stable and constructive bilateral relations. Meanwhile, China conveyed its firm position on the Taiwan question and made clear that issues about Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet are China's domestic affairs that must not be interfered with by external forces. 

However, the summary released by the US only made obvious the US' unilateral attitude and highlighted differences. I believe China's report is much more decent and conveys China's idea of the coexistence of harmony and diversity in international relations.

During the first official phone conversation between the two countries' senior officials, I believe that Blinken, as a senior diplomat, has expressed his due respect to China and reiterated the Biden administration's basic attitude of adhering to the one-China policy. By initiating the phone call, Blinken's primary purpose was to make constructive communication with China. It is unlikely that he wanted to call just to blast China in opposition on multiple fronts. 

However, in the US Department of State's short release about the phone call, apart from kindly extending his "best wishes" for the upcoming Lunar New Year, everything else presented his tough approach on China. I believe the briefing was written in this way due to the US' so-called political correctness on China issues; it indeed showed the US' ideological willfulness and hypocrisy when dealing with China.

Objectively speaking, the US' strategy of containing China has shown its tendency toward a serious failure. It is obvious to the world that China's development is unstoppable. It is wishful thinking for the US to try and rope in its allies to oppose China. European countries have made it clear that they do not wish to blindly follow Washington in fighting against Beijing because doing so is not in line with their core interests. The same goes for most countries in the Asia-Pacific.

If the Biden administration really wants to handle the US' domestic affairs well first, maybe their only option is to reduce the current tension between China and the US and ease the two countries' conflicts. Otherwise, the Biden administration might find itself falling into the holes dug by Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo during their final "frenzy." The Biden administration is well versed in terms of strategy. We believe that they can distinguish the pros from the cons. No matter what they say to the American people, we hope their actual actions can bring the US' China policy from the cloud of fantasy back down to pragmatic ground.

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