The U.S. economic magazine Forbes has strongly critizes Obama administration's warning to Beijing about Chinese agents operating in the U.S. as a part of the anti-corruption campaign, describing it as a "blundering, even self-damaging" decision.
In a commentary published Wednesday, Forbes contributor Stephen Harner said the U.S. damages its own interests to deliver the warning to Beijing asking Chinese government agents to stop operating secretly in the U.S.
"It is hard to imagine a policy decision that would do more to damage American interests if we accept that our interests include a constructive relationship with China," said Harner.
These agents are purportedly pressuring prominent expatriates, some of whom are wanted in China on charges of corruption, to return home immediately, according to the New York Times.
Emphasizing the significance of the anti-corruption campaign being waged under Chinese President Xi Jinping, Harner said the success of the campaign is of existential importance to the Chinese political system, making it unwise to undermine or block China's anti-corruption effort.
"Beijing's global anti-corruption effort, christened Operation Fox Hunt, is high-profile, centrally-directed and highly professional," Harner said, adding that those responsible for the policy blocking the campaign are acting against interests of both the U.S. and China.
"If the Obama administration were truly seeking to build cooperative, constructive relations with China, and to enhance trust and confidence, it would be facilitating Operation Fox Hunt, not blocking it," the blogger said.
The Obama administration has been acting against the spirit of due regard and respect for core national interests of the two countries, which is one of the pillars of the "New Model of Great Power Relations" advanced by Xi at the 2013 Sunnylands Summit, Harner added.
