Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Recently, over the Ukraine crisis, Washington and the US media have been playing a "double act" again. After repeatedly failing to force China into their game, they have started talking up "exclusive reports," quoting "anonymous US officials" and fabricating many scenarios related to the situation in Ukraine. 

For example, they claimed that Beijing had some level of direct knowledge about Russia's military operations against Ukraine but asked Russia to delay them until after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. In addition, they alleged that Russia asked China for military and economic aid and further argued that China has "expressed some openness to providing such aid to Russia."

The above lies are well concocted, but without any evidence. Certainly, the problem of no evidence may be a bit of overthinking, because when does Washington need to provide evidence to smear others? Isn't it always following the logic of "if I say so, it has to be so?" If you must ask for any "evidence," it will again hold up a tiny vial of white powder, or produce a video of the White Helmets being instructed to pose...

The Global Times has recently learned from multiple sources that the "anonymous US officials" quoted in the two New York Times reports that were throwing mud at China on Ukraine came from the National Security Council (NSC) of the White House. In the recent series of disinformation, the White House and the US media repeatedly staged a "double act" with obvious intentions. On the one hand, they must distort China's just position and smear China internationally, creating momentum for its strategic suppression of China. On the other hand, they intend to drive a wedge between China and Russia in an attempt to "kill two birds with one stone" and ease the pressure of the US' "two-front war."

Of course, what's behind it is Washington's hegemony and ambition. Kurt Campbell, the NSC's Indo-Pacific policy coordinator, "took the initiative" to say at the end of February that the US will keep its focus on the "Indo-Pacific region" despite the Ukraine crisis. In order to maintain the US' hegemonic self-interests, fabricating lies has become a "necessary means" for Washington. In the words of Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, "The US, as usual, lies to try to achieve its political goals."

Last year, several "anonymous US officials" have told the media either "the Chinese military has three times rejected requests for calls from the US defense secretary," "researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology became sick and sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed," or "China has no intention of engaging in serious or substantive talks with the US." All of these have later been proven to be utter disinformation, which only serves as "cannonballs" for attacking China.

When looking back at his past as CIA director, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo once said publicly, "We lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses." So how does the US lie and deceive people? It is easier for Washington and the US media to quote "anonymous officials" to spread lies as shocking "exclusive news." The cooperation between US propaganda machines and diplomatic and intelligence services has greatly increased the deceptiveness of those lies. Moreover, the US' alliance system and hegemony in public opinion can make sure that even though Washington is a habitual liar, it can obtain a certain amount of assentation and support. This has become the bases for the US to play politics as it wants.

While US media maliciously falsifies the truth, Washington deliberately pretends to know nothing. These two to some extent have even formed an integral production, supply and distribution chain of fake news. This is unprofessional, immoral, and irresponsible, and will only further discredit the US in front of the world. As some comments pointed out, whenever people see the news reports that include sentences like "anonymous officials revealed…" and "US intelligence agencies claimed…," they should in their minds replace everything in those sentences with "They may be lying."

Therefore, unsurprisingly, as Washington is changing its foreign strategy to "great power competition," it will use its hegemony in public opinion and media to spread false information and launch a "public opinion warfare." Of course, we can also be sure that such a "double act" will sooner or later fail to work as the deficit in the US' account of credibility rises.

Right now, when the military conflict in Ukraine is getting increasingly serious under Washington's provocation, and when the energy and refugee crises become more and more severe in Europe, the US' smear campaign will only unmask it as the initiator. More and more people will see the true face of the US - an "empire of lies."