On November 18, 2020, Hu Xijin, editor of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Global Times, published an article titled "'China... Is Strategically Aggressive... And The Results Are Good." In his article, Hu explained that China is "strategically aggressive and has continued to grow and develop, and the results are good." Meanwhile, he said, the United States is in decline economically and, while China has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. is facing a "revolution" from Black Lives Matter.
Hu then asserted that China's greatest interest in the past few decades has been its development and wrote that the West is angered by China's rise. "The process of accomplishing great things is not easy. When we should be tough, we must be tough. However, we also need to have a moderate stance. It is just the so-called 'using the carrot and stick.' This kind of hardship is not frustration and oppression, but strong ability and wisdom," Hu concluded.
It is worth noting that Hu Xijin, who usually refers to himself as Lao Hu ("Old Hu"), is regarded as expressing the positions of the CCP's Central Foreign Affairs Division in a populist tone.
(Source: Globaltimes.cn)
Following is Hu's article, published on popular microblog platform Weibo:[1]
"China, As The 'Number Two In Power Rankings Of The World,' Balances 'Flexibility' And 'Elasticity'"
"I often see some netizens saying that the Chinese nowadays are somewhat frustrated and oppressed. We are contained by the United States, but we have to bear it. We cannot feel free to attack the provocative Indian army on the border. Even some small countries dare to bully the big nation, China. On the Taiwan issue, we are 'all talk but no action.' All these have irked Chinese people.
"I, Lao Hu, couldn't help but say that these feelings are illusions to some extent at least. I have to make it clear that there is absolutely no country in the world that can acquire complete satisfaction. Concerning a governing team, the 'most satisfied' one around the globe probably belongs to Trump administration, but it is a hot-tempered government in the eyes of global elites.
"If you look at China from the outside, few people would think that China is a 'doormat.' Generally speaking, in this world that is both civilized and advocating the law of the jungle, all countries need to be 'flexible and elastic (adaptable to the existing situation).' I think that China, as the 'number two in power rankings of the world,' balances 'flexibility' and 'elasticity' quite well."
"What Do Some Elites In The U.S. Hate Most And Least Accept? It's The Rise Of China'"
"The evidence is that China is a country that is strategically aggressive and has continued to grow and develop, and the results are good. What has been China's greatest interest in the past few decades? Of course, it is development. What do some elites in the United States hate most and least accept? It's the rise of China. Our biggest goal is constantly achieving, which can anger those who curse China to death.
"It used to be a Westerner's life, living in a house with an independent bathroom, driving a car, traveling... Today we live like this, and it's them who should be angry. These are earth-shaking changes. No one has been able to stop the Chinese people from making our lives better and better. Therefore, although we may have our own disappointments and unsatisfactory [elements] in life, when it comes to 'being Chinese,' we really cannot say that we have been frustrated and oppressed in the past few decades.
"What about our territory? Although there have been disputes over the past few decades, China has not actually lost an inch of land. No matter on the China-India border, on the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, or in Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) in the South China Sea, the Chinese army has never taken a step back. Some Western media have been assisting regional related countries to bluff and they collude with each other to demonstrate against China. However, those are only talks and for performing to their own public. It can be said with certainty that China has not suffered from territorial issues in the past several decades."
"'When We Should Be Tough, We Must Be Tough'"
"The Trump administration's strategic suppression of China has indeed caused us a lot of trouble, but does it really work on China? The U.S. trade deficit with China has not decreased, but increased. After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, China basically wiped it out the in a short time, while the United States became the largest pandemic area in the world. China did not get into chaos because of COVID-19, but the 'Black Lives Matter' movement in the United States was almost like a revolution. The power gap between China and the United States has clearly narrowed rather than widened in the past few years.
"As for Taiwan, Lao Hu would like to say: First, due to the continuous expansion of China's strategic interest pattern, the Taiwan issue has been relatively 'shrunk.' Second, regardless of the bluffing of the Tsai Ing-wen authorities in Taiwan, the actual ability of mainland China to take control of the Taiwan Strait situation has enhanced unprecedentedly. The mainland has historically held the initiative of Taiwan issue in its own hands. Today's Taiwan is like Peiping (aka Beijing) in 1949, which was surrounded on all sides.
"Of course, we cannot say that China must get whatever it wants, and that China could fix whoever at will. If that were the case, would not China become the 'public enemy' of the world? China's snowballing development has been achieved by countless acts of cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win results, and at the same time, it has been achieved through twists and turns to avoid and resolve disputes and conflicts one after another. The process of accomplishing great things is not easy. When we should be tough, we must be tough. However, we also need to have a moderate stance. It is just the so-called 'using the carrot and stick.' This kind of hardship is not frustration and oppression, but strong ability and wisdom."
[1] M.weibo.cn/status/4572926282307153, November 18, 2020.
