The most sensible response on Beijing's part is a cool-headed reminder that sorting things out in their own house would serve them better than blaming China, as China-bashing seems to have become a convenient and lazy way for Western politicians to divert attention from the issues in their own country.
A Chinese Embassy spokeswoman in the United Kingdom was asked to comment on British Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak'sSunak's rhetoric on deterring China in a campaign speech on August 11.
The spokesperson said that instigating tougher policies against China won't solve the UK's problems and would lead to further astray, because of the irresponsible habits of a number of UK politicians to constantly upbraid China.
Following the United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's example, parliamentarians from a number of European countries have either echoed her words about isolating China or revealed plans to visit Taiwan.
Sunak, the former UK finance minister, knows what good China-UK relations mean to his country, and he said that he was talking about preserving constructive engagement with China. He was once considered a sensible voice in the face of China clamor in the UK. But like every other Western politician, including Liz Truss, his rival to be the next prime minister, Sunak needs to be combative and must present an image of toughness against enemies. For China, it has obviously become the main target of that kind of toughness. Attacking China is now one of the most popular must-have insurance for Western politicians. The two final candidates for the Tory leadership and occupancy of No 10 Downing Street have plunged into a race to the bottom of the pork barrel to see who can be tougher on China, with few answers to the UK's domestic woes.
Sunak, criticized by his rival as being weak in China, has labeled China as the number one threat to UK and global security, and has proposed closing all Chinese Embassy spokesman in the UK, which will only worsen bilateral ties, according to a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the UK. Such rhetoric is highly irresponsible as it fosters misconceptions about China, brewing anti-China mass hysteria that will cause further animosities and troubles, and will only fuel further animosities and troubles, beyond showing the lengths some Western politicians will stoop to for personal political gains.