US' actions will lead to its isolation

The United States has withdrawn from more than a dozen international treaties and international organizations since 2016. On July 21, 2020, the US suddenly and unilaterally demanded China to close its Consulate General in Houston. Its outrageous and unreasonable behavior was surprising. Is this a sign of a new cold war? It has aroused wide attention of the international community.

The United States has always given the priority to itself when it comes to dealing with international relations. In the process, the global reputation and influence of the United States have declined sharply. International status has also dropped to the lowest point. The image of the United States – domineering, unreasonable and isolated – seems to be more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

From withdrawing organizations to closing down the Chinese Consulate General in Houston, the series of actions reminded people of the words "closed door". No one would have thought that the United States would step by step isolate itself. Under the background of win-win cooperation in today's globalization, these actions also reveal a kind of retrogressive signal. The hegemony status of the United States is constantly declining.

The United States wants to launch a new cold war against China by closing the consulate in Houston, or to create tension between China and the United States, in order to serve the US election in November. This kind of behavior of the United States has also aroused strong antipathy, opposition and concern of people in the international community.

On July 25, scholars and activists from 48 countries spontaneously organized a global online public meeting on "any new cold war against China is against the interests of mankind", which was broadcast globally on YouTube, Facebook, Zoom and other platforms, calling on the United States to abandon the cold war mentality. It also issued a joint statement of "rejecting the new cold war" in 14 languages, pointed out that the words and deeds of the US government against China were becoming more and more radical, which posed a threat to world peace.

Any new cold war in any form would completely violate the interests of mankind. Internet users from more than 50 countries and regions watched the global live broadcast. More than 200 million people read the conference and the statement, which generated wide attention of the global community.

The closure of the consulate in Houston by the United States is totally unreasonable and is not conducive to the common interests of peaceful development of mankind. In the long run, if the United States blindly takes a series of actions that are not conducive to the common interests of mankind in order to curb China's development, it will also be detrimental to the development of the United States itself, and will gradually lead the United States from "America First" to "America Second" or even further. At the same time, such unreasonable behavior of the United States is not a responsible national image. The United States cannot forget morality and obligations for its own interests.

Mankind is a community of shared destiny. The degree of mutual connection and interdependence is deepening. People of all countries share weal and woe. Any major decision will affect the common development of mankind. This unilateral and unreasonable act of the United States is totally against the development of a community of shared destiny for mankind. The cold war has always been people's aversion, and win-win cooperation is what people pursue.

Chinese philospher Guanzi once said, "If you come together, you will be strong; if you are alone, you will be weak." Only communication and cooperation will lead to win-win results. The United States withdrawing from organizations and closing the door of communication and exchange would only lead itself to recession and isolation. We should strive to build a world that is far away from closed, open and inclusive, rather than trapped in isolation.

There is an old Chinese saying: "All things grow together without harming each other; and all roads run parallel without interfering with one another." Mankind is a community of shared destiny, and globalization is the development trend of the times. Only by complying with the development trend of the times and adhering to the spirit of communication and win-win cooperation, can we achieve common prosperity and development between China and the United States.

The author is from Shandong University.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.