Asked on Aug. 24 by Reuters (naturally) about President Donald Trump’s Aug. 23 statement that decoupling from China were possible, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday addressed the strategic reality faced by all nations:
“The development of China and the U.S. is not mutually-exclusive. We are more than capable of drawing on each other’s strength to achieve common development. The two countries should work together to strengthen bilateral relations and shoulder their due global responsibilities rather than decoupling with each other.… In particular, as the world enters the post-COVID era, countries are all confronted with the tasks of resuming work and production, reviving the economy, and keeping domestic industrial and supply chains stable. No country can do this alone. Only by sticking together and lending each other a helping hand can we get through the hard times.”
He added a colorful touch: “Trying to solve domestic problems through decoupling is like looking for fish in trees or drinking poison to quench thirst. The country doing so will eventually harm the interests of its own businesses and people.”
Or, as Zhao put it in answer to a question yesterday about Pompeo’s ravings: people in the United States should see China as “an opportunity, not a threat.”
