BEIJING (AP) 鈥 The Chinese government on Thursday accused Washington of 鈥淐old War thinking鈥 and appealed for efforts to repair strained relations after President Joe Biden released a national security strategy that calls for 鈥渙ut-competing China鈥 and blocking its efforts to reshape global affairs.
The foreign ministry also accused Washington of trade protectionism after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States would reinforce its global supply chains to guard against 鈥済eopolitical coercion鈥 by China, Russia and other governments.
Biden鈥檚 document Wednesday accused China of trying to 鈥渆rode U.S. alliances鈥 and 鈥渃reate more permissive conditions for its own authoritarian model.鈥 It called for 鈥渙ut-competing China鈥 in political alliances and 鈥済lobal governance鈥 as well as business, technology and military affairs.
U.S.-Chinese relations are at their lowest level in decades, strained by disputes over technology, security, and .
鈥淐old War thinking and zero-sum games, sensationalizing geopolitical conflicts and great power competition are unpopular and unconstructive,鈥 said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. She called on Washington to 鈥渕eet China halfway and promote China-U.S. relations back to a healthy and stable track.鈥
The White House document calls for the United States to 鈥渕aintain a competitive edge鈥 over China, which has antagonized Japan, India and other neighbors with an increasingly assertive foreign policy and growing military.
China's multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to build ports, and other infrastructure across Asia and Africa has fed concern in Washington, Moscow and other capitals that Beijing is trying to build its strategic influence and undermine theirs.
China, with the second-largest global economy and military, is the 鈥渙nly competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do it,鈥 the document says.
Mao, speaking at a regular news briefing, said China was a 鈥渄efender of the world order鈥 and rejected 鈥渟ensationalizing geopolitical conflicts and great power competition.鈥
Mao criticized the 鈥渨eaponization of economic and trade issues鈥 after Yellen said Wednesday the United States was trying to , electric vehicle batteries, solar panels and other technology.
President Xi Jinping's government is spending heavily to reduce its need for U.S. and other Western technology by developing its own creators of processor chips, artificial intelligence, aerospace and other know-how. Beijing is pressing Chinese companies to reduce reliance on global supply chains by using domestic vendors whenever possible, even if that increases costs.
鈥淲e know the cost of Russia鈥檚 weaponization of trade as a tool of geopolitical coercion, and we must mitigate similar vulnerabilities to countries like China,鈥 Yellen said in Washington.
The United States should 鈥渁bandon unilateralism and protectionism," Mao said, and work with 鈥渢he international community to maintain the security and smooth flow of the industrial and supply chain."
