New China-bashing term shows obsolete West-centric mindset

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) — “Sharp power”, a term coined by a U.S.
think-tank and circulated by British magazine The Economist, is being used
by some Western countries and media to raise so-called concerns over a new
version of the “China threat” theory.

To promote the term, the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy
(NED) has published research papers and organized international seminars.
The NED is endorsed by the U.S. government and has received huge grants
from the U.S. Congress. Though it claims that its goal is “promoting
democracy abroad,” it is a fact that its many sponsors include some
notorious separatist groups. U.S. historian William Blum said the NED is
the kind of organization “which often does exactly the opposite of what its
name implies.” Calling it a “Trojan horse”, he said it “meddles in the
internal affairs of numerous foreign countries in a multitude of ways …
(and) refers to the media it supports as ‘independent’ despite the fact
that these media are on the U.S. payroll.”

Former Congressman Ron Paul called the NED “nothing more than a costly
program that takes U.S. taxpayer funds to promote favored politicians and
political parties abroad.” Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the
China Institute of International Studies, said it’s natural for China to
expand contacts with other countries since they also have a strong desire
to understand Chinese history and culture. “Western countries are doing
the same thing. Why can’t China? Such double standard is unethical,” he
added. Some Western powers have a history of making up new words to
deliberately distort China’s image and policy, and undertaking for their
own gain, a pure reflection of their concerns and anxiety over China’s
rapid development.

In a December issue, The Economist cited a poll — “Do you have a favorable
or unfavorable view of China?” — conducted by Pew Research Center in
Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan from 2002 to 2017. Though
three of the four countries expressed positive opinions about China, the
article ridiculously interpreted it as the result of China’s “sharp power”.
Such mentality shows that the West tends to view the ever-changing world
based on Western-centrism. So it finds it increasingly difficult to adapt
to changes. Over the past few years, China has played an active role in
trying to work with the rest of the international community to improve
global governance by proposing to jointly build a community of shared
future for mankind and encouraging wide participation in the Belt and Road
Initiative. China’s contribution to global peace, security and development
has been substantial, winning global recognition. In this age of
globalization, a zero-sum mentality will get no one anywhere. It is hoped
that Westerners with such an obsolete mindset will abandon it and join
China for the well-being of all.