Election meddling claims part of American gospel

As the United States 2024 presidential election draws near, some US media outlets have started hyping up alleged Chinese attempts to meddle in the election.

The US side should refrain from measuring other people's corn by its own bushel. That the US is obsessed with interfering in other countries' internal affairs by influencing their elections and other low methods does not mean other countries act in the same way.

The US' intrusiveness in other countries' affairs originates from its sense of exceptionalism, the belief that the US is above international laws and rules as it is the pinnacle of progress and can do no wrong.

Although many hardships of different countries and regions, Afghanistan and Iraq being recent examples, are attributable to the crusading passion of the US political elite, who are eager to spread "the word" of US greatness, they deem the sufferings that arise collateral damage for their just and noble cause.

That mentality has become paranoia as promoting US values is mixed with protecting the US' worldwide hegemony.

Hence it is not strange that Washington tends to observe other countries through the prism of its own behavior. Any deviance from obedience to the law as laid down by Washington is regarded as a threat.

China has no interest at all in interfering in the US election, or elections in any other country. Not to mention the fact that whoever is elected in the US election, it will not make any difference to the country's China policy.

It is also in line with the interests of China if the US can effectively improve its governance to better resolve its domestic issues. For too long Washington has tried to scapegoat China for its own governance failures at home.

Unlike the US, China doesn't base its own security and prosperity on other countries' insecurity and backwardness. And it believes that all troubles in major countries and regions can produce spillover effects in other parts of the world. That's why China has dedicated itself to promoting the common development of the world and win-win cooperation among different countries. If all countries approach international relations as a zero-sum game, the world will have no future.

China-bashing has become one of the few issues on which Democrats and Republicans can agree, playing the China card has become commonplace and both parties and their media supporters are trying to gain an upper hand by using it to their advantage.

Instead of trying to capture the votes of a gullible public by such means, the two parties would do more good by focusing on the institutional loopholes of the US political system, as well as the domestic woes that they have caused.