OPINION / OBSERVER
Westerners sowing discord between China, Islamic world will be to no avail
Published: May 19, 2021 10:07 PM
Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT



The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflicts have given rise to attempts seeking to drive a wedge between China and the Islamic countries. A view recently has emerged in the West, particularly the US, hyping that the Chinese people are divided toward the Israel-Palestine conflicts. It holds the China's official attitude is anti-Israel largely because of Israel's pro-US stance, while the Chinese people are anti-Palestine and prefer Israelis out of Islamophobia. 

Anyone who does some research will find this is a serious misinterpretation about China's official and public attitudes. Of course, there are some Americans who deliberately try to sow discord between China and Islamic countries.  

What Chinese people see from the Israel-Palestine conflicts is power politics. When a country does not have enough strength to resist hegemony, the fate of its people is quite miserable. The Chinese people have sympathy for the Palestinians, because we can feel their anger and helplessness. On China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, many netizens have expressed indignation toward the US for America's partial stance which leads to injustice. 

China supports the United Nations' standpoint of fostering peace and stability in the region, and the Chinese public's attitude is consistent with that of the government. It opposes US obstructionism on Israel-Palestine peace and the injustice the US has created in the region.

This latest conflict has given the Chinese people a deeper understanding of US hypocrisy. Washington is hyping up human rights condition of Uygurs in China's Xinjiang, but it has indulged Israel's violence against Palestine. 

Israel's attacks have plunged the Gaza Strip into a new humanitarian disaster. However, the US repeatedly blocked the UN Security Council from adopting a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire. The Biden administration also approved the sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel. Meanwhile, the US continues to place itself on the moral high ground. The Chinese public has a repugnance to such practices, as China itself is a victim of US bullying and unfair treatment.

Some Americans want to create an impression that there is strong Islamophobia in China. The fact is Muslims in China have enjoyed a steady and improving life and China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has regained stability and prosperity. 

The Chinese society is not Islamophobic, while it keeps high alert toward Xinjiang secessionists, as Chinese public knows that some external forces are trying to exploit them to mess up China. 

The US has taken a wanton and reckless behavior toward Muslim countries. In addition to stirring up Middle East region, Washington is withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan hastily and irresponsibly. Terrorism is no longer a serious threat to the US, but the 20 years of war have turned Afghanistan into a mess. These have led to deep resentment in the Islamic countries toward the US. One of the strategic goals for the US and the West to hype the Xinjiang issue is to divert at least part of Muslims' hatred against them to China, distracting the pressure placed on them because of their discrimination and suppression on Muslims.  

The Chinese public is aware of the US' vicious goals and its hypocrisy regarding human rights. They have offered huge public support to the Chinese government in opposing injustice the US has caused and exposing the US' sinister nature. And the Chinese public is firmly aware that national strength is essential to protect the country's sovereignty and national interests from international injustice.