Degradation in the Western system Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Moscow will not allow the US to speak to Russia from a position of strength, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Moscow-based Argumenty i Fakty newspaper on Tuesday.

Peskov said, "The Americans keep repeating like a mantra: we will speak with everyone from the position of force… This is ruled out." Such statements from Russia show that a growing number of countries are getting a clear understanding that the US is playing a destructive role in international affairs. 

After the Cold War, the US has been increasingly active in getting itself involved in various global issues. However, the more the US gets itself involved, the more likely it will lead to turmoil. This phenomenon has rung the bell for many countries. This is also the reason why remarks made by China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi at the Alaska China-US talks are widely echoed.

"In international affairs, there is no doubt that you are your own spokesperson, and you cannot let other countries speak for you. So it is quite normal to see China and Russia make such statements," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

"Many European countries, such as Germany, have done the same thing. This is evidence that the US really has an image that is not very good internationally," Li noted.

Keeping discourse power under control has been a stock-in-trade of the US to suppress the so-called non-like-minded countries. And the struggles concerning the discourse power will be tenser in US campaigns to form alliances against China and Russia. 

The essence of emphasizing that the US cannot deal with everything from the position of strength is that all countries in the world are equal. The US has no right to treat other countries as second-class or even third-class countries just because of its own strength. Such an attitude will arouse resentment of all people who have national self-esteem, and this is detrimental to US relations with them.

Peskov has clearly made Russia's stance heard, which can represent the countries that have long suffered from the US' unreasonable moves. It also shows that Russia, together with China, is willing to prevent the world from being manipulated by the US-led countries at will. 

As Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in the joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on March 23, "Major countries should take the lead in emphasizing equality and set an example on implementing the Charter of the United Nations by refraining from standing upon their pantofles or keeping a stranglehold on other countries with own strength and status." 

The times have changed, and so has the US. Today, if the US still wants to rely on the previous set of tricks to suppress others with its hegemony, it will simply not work. Only by treating other countries as equals can one obtain mutual respect from others in their interactions.

If the US is still keen on the world where only Washington can make the call, it will be more than normal if more countries fight back against the US with more resolute words in the future.