Commentary: Ideological rigidity real threat to West, not China

by Xinhua writers Liang Junqian, Hao Weiwei

BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- The "China threat" theory is nothing new. Its recent resurgence may well reflect the West world's growing anxiety over a rising China and a changing world.

This week, some officials on the U.S. National Security Council urged the Trump's administration to centralize 5G mobile network to "counter the threat of China spying on phone calls," triggering oppositions from U.S. communications regulators, wireless firms and lawmakers.

Earlier this month, some Australian politicians criticized China of providing loans to the Pacific nations on unfavorable terms, yet were strongly rebuked by those island countries.

Other Western countries like Germany, France and Italy are also trying to scrutinize investments from China.

Instead of putting China under a microscope for threat examinations, the Western powers should find new prescriptions to prepare itself in the face of China's fast development, as well as its sense of loss in an ever interdependent world.

For decades, elites in the West believe that the Western style democratic political system combined with free market economy could be mankind's ultimate form of governance.

The U.S.-led "liberal world order" that they have taken for granted in the post-Cold War period has enjoyed uncontested superiority in every operating domain.

Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, said the United States has returned to "the Cold War-era inertia," viewing the world full of threats rather than opportunities.

Now, the deeply flawed West-dominated world order that has existed for more than 200 years needs to be refashioned. The rise of China, whose political, economic and ideological system are different from the West, has unsettled many. They are in one way or another not comfortable with their own illusion that someone is going to take their place and replace the "old set of rules" with its own.@ However, the China skeptics need to understand one thing that China has no intention of pulling down the current world order and build a new one based on its own propositions.

Rather, what China wants to do is to try to shoulder its share of responsibility as a major country, joining hands with other countries to patch up the global governance system and make it serve not just the Western powers, but all other nations as well.

At the just concluded World Economic Forum's annual meeting in the Swiss town of Davos, China has clearly stated its determination to stay on the track of reform and opening up, singling bolder reform measures that would mean greater opportunities for the rest of the world.

More than two centuries ago, the West had managed to climb to the top of the world by accommodating changes of the industrial revolution.

History never ends. It progresses all the time. The West needs to stop looking at China from behind an ideological entrenchment, and embrace a positive-sum mentality and the spirit of openness. Enditem