US, not China, biggest threat to global security

With the "fakestream" media buried deep in the establishment mind, the US State Department and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claim that the Communist Party of China poses a great threat to the United States and global security.

But is this really the case? It looks like a legitimate question.

As a matter of fact, only the US remains the biggest arms exporter, the biggest military spender, and the biggest regime changer in the world. In contrast, China, which is set to become the world's biggest economy, is not a threat to the US or the world. China has always advocated peace and security, which is the root of Chinese culture and civilization.

What else can you expect from a country that claims to be a beacon of liberty and justice, yet at the same time is directly or indirectly involved in well-funded wars in many nations on the planet? The sad fact is that these "humanitarian interventions" have had unforeseen blowbacks and catastrophic effects even on the lives of most Americans.

It's a kind of ongoing hell that can be traced back to America's imperial adventures. The rise of Al-Qaida and ISIS can be traced to the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The subsequent terrorist attacks in Europe also came as a direct consequence of the Syria war spillover. The drug-related violence sweeping Latin America or the territorial disputes and wars across the African continent are also tied to America's role in destabilizing these regions. According to the Costs of War Project, some 800,000 people have been killed by direct war violence only in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan.

After considering the trail of such a humanitarian tragedy that continues to follow the American foreign policy establishment wherever it goes, it is safe to say that America's endless wars are entering the third decade. However, the reason the State Department is slandering the CPC is because time is on China's side. Unlike the US, which is still stuck in the mire of forever wars, China is not marching to disaster as it has never shown any tendency to geographical expansion.

As China rises peacefully and the US declines disastrously, the CPC and its leadership continue to show wisdom and good sense in managing their country's rise for common prosperity and shared future. In contrast, the political class in Washington is seeking to prop up the military-industrial complex in the South China Sea under their concept of American exceptionalism. Their bullets and beliefs make the US, and not China, the biggest threat to regional peace and global security.

Seen through a magnifying lens, international polls like WIN/Gallup International and Pew Research Center have also shown the US is seen by peoples around the world as the biggest threat to world peace. More respondents among the sampled countries also see the US as "a major threat" than either Russia or China. It's a reminder that unlike what the conspiracy-mongers, right-wing populists and lobby groups at the State Department are desperate to prove, the tide of opinion has clearly turned against the US.

This should surprise no one. America's military supremacy and economic power are not being used to rebuild global security and prosperity. They are being used to restore America's geostrategic and economic hegemony. Even as the world grapples with the pandemic, these military and economic power are not there to serve the interests of the global community. They are to serve America's interests, to support arms manufacturers, and to preserve the regional and global status quo.

As the world enters this new year and as the Trump era ends, the State Department's failure to see China afresh and to reach out and find common ground in differences and disputes will only widen the rift between Washington and Beijing. These actions actually make no sense at a time when they can and ought to work together to fight the pandemic and re-engage the global economy.

The author is a London-based journalist, a guest contributor in print, radio and television, a documentary filmmaker and a member of the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.

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