It is "absurd and against common sense" to use the so-called "China's interference in U.S. domestic affairs and midterm elections" to justify the recent sting of tariff measures, China's ambassador to Britain said Friday.
Liu Xiaoming made the comments in a signed article published by the Daily Telegraph entitled "China's focus is on peace, co-operation and hard work."
The senior diplomat said China's development achievements are not a handout from others but the result of decades of hard work of the Chinese people.
"No one can claim the credit but the people of China," he said. "The Chinese people are best positioned to judge whether this path is successful in improving their life."
"The Western traditional belief of power politics, that 'a strong country is bound to seek hegemony' and thus 'China is bound to challenge and replace the U.S. leadership,' has led to the current escalation of trade disputes between the two countries," Liu said.
"But this is a big miscomprehension of China's development intentions, because China is pursuing a path of peaceful development untrodden by the established powers," he added.
Liu stressed that it is time for the United States to shake off the shackles of outdated ideas of invasion, expansion, hegemony and bullying, and come round and appreciate China's win-win cooperation with the world.
In the recent trade disputes triggered by the United States, China had no other choice but to take necessary countermeasures, he said.
Liu said that the United States has frequently gone back on its word, ignored good advice and showed an obvious lack of sincerity for equal-footed negotiation and consultation, and hence has caused the escalation of the situation.
"Personal experience tells me that in China-U.S. relations, cooperation is the only right thing to do," Liu said. "The two had better work with each other than against each other." Enditem
