Amid escalating challenges and threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the United States is not only using diplomatic and administrative means to counter the CCP but also introducing a series of bills in Congress aimed at effectively curtailing the CCP’s threats. International affairs experts state that the CCP’s challenge to the world order established by the United States and universal values is an attempt to replace the US globally and establish the CCP’s system.
Today’s world is facing numerous complex issues such as political confrontation, economic friction, military conflicts, and the situation is extremely complicated. Professor Sun Guoxiang from the Department of International Affairs and Business at Southern China University, in an interview with Epoch Times, stated, “The current international situation is full of uncertainty, with the world undergoing profound transformations in economics, politics, and values. The competition among major powers, frequent geopolitical conflicts, turmoil in the international order, and global economic challenges are the main characteristics of the current world situation.”
Professor Sun’s teaching and research specialties include Asia-Pacific international relations, regionalism, cross-strait relations, international political economy, and international public law.
Sun Guoxiang stated that although the world situation is chaotic and complicated, there is a very clear main theme: the confrontation and competition between the United States and the CCP. He said, “The competition between the US and China (CCP) is increasingly turning into a long-term and comprehensive game. It involves not only trade and economic aspects but also technology, military, and global influence.”
Starting from September 9, the US House of Representatives began voting on a series of bills related to China to address the national and economic security threats posed by Beijing to the United States. The topics of these bills cover various areas including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Chinese biotechnology companies, drones, electric vehicle batteries, and foreign acquisitions of US agricultural land.
Majority Leader of the House of Representatives Steve Scalise said, “We need to actively address the threats posed by China (CCP).”
Sun Guoxiang said, “As the CCP’s hegemony continues to expand, Western countries, especially the United States, are strengthening containment and vigilance against China (CCP). The US is uniting with allies such as the European Union, Japan, Australia, and others to counter the CCP on human rights issues, economic coercion, military expansion, etc.”
“The CCP’s challenge to the US and universal human values stems from its multiple strategic considerations. This is not only about national interests and geopolitical competition but also involves the CCP regime maintaining the legitimacy of its rule, ideological conflict, and the pursuit of global dominance,” he said.
Sun Guoxiang believes that the core of the CCP’s challenge to the US lies in the struggle for global dominance. Since the end of the Cold War, the US has long dominated global political and economic order, while the CCP is attempting to become a global power, reshaping the international system to suit its regime’s needs. The US-led international order emphasizes universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law, which conflict with the CCP’s governance model and interests. The CCP aims to establish a “multipolar world” to reduce US influence and strengthen its discourse power in international organizations and global affairs.
During the opening of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum on September 4, CCP leader Xi Jinping pledged to provide 360 billion RMB (approximately $50.6 billion) in financial support to Africa over the next three years and elevate the overall positioning of China-Africa relations to a “new era of all-weather China-Africa community of shared future.” Xi claimed that Western modernization has brought “deep suffering” to developing countries and that the CCP wants to walk alongside these countries.
Regarding the series of measures taken by the CCP, Sun Guoxiang said, “As China’s (CCP) economic and military strength grows, it aims to challenge the US position in the Asia-Pacific and globally, promote ‘China’s diplomacy with Chinese characteristics,’ establish an international system that does not rely on Western rules, and expand its influence through initiatives like ‘Belt and Road.'”
He noted that the CCP is trying to weaken the global appeal of freedom and democracy values by promoting its institutional advantages. Offering economic aid and infrastructure investments to some developing countries without human rights conditions, the CCP seeks to replace the “Western model” with the “CCP model.”
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated during a forum in Texas on September 7 that she is likely to visit China again and hold meetings with Deputy Prime Minister in charge of finance and finance work for the CCP, He Lifeng, and other officials. Yellen said, “There are too many differences between the US and China. If we don’t discuss them, these differences may escalate.” She emphasized that US-China relations need ongoing attention, and the next administration should prioritize US-China relations.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense on September 10, four Chinese warships and a supply ship conducted large-scale joint military exercises with Russian vessels south of Vladivostok. Moscow stated that this exercise is part of the maneuvers from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.
On September 9, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced that Chinese and Russian troops will hold the “Northern Union-2024” exercise in the Sea of Japan and the Okhotsk Sea in September. Chinese and Russian naval vessels will also conduct the fifth joint maritime patrol in relevant areas of the Pacific Ocean.
US National Security Advisor John Kirby expressed concern during a press conference on September 9 about the expanding cooperation between China and Russia over the past few years. However, he also emphasized that these exercises were pre-planned and do not pose a direct threat to the US.
NATO leaders stated in a joint declaration during the Washington summit in July this year that the CCP is the “decisive driver” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sun Guoxiang said that in the Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as in the conflict in the South Caucasus, the CCP claims to maintain “neutrality” and proposes “peace plans” to resolve the Ukrainian issue under the guise of a “peacekeeper,” but secretly provides various support to Russia. “In the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the South Caucasus, the CCP attempts to use strategic ambiguity to protect and advance its economic and geopolitical interests to the fullest. At the same time, it seeks to weaken the global leadership of the US through these conflicts and strengthen strategic cooperation with Russia and Middle Eastern countries.”
Additionally, Sun Guoxiang believes that the CCP has a strong psychological fear of “color revolutions.”
He stated that the CCP has been tirelessly promoting its soft power, namely the communist ideology, for many years. Because “the US’s ideals of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights pose a threat to CCP rule,” “the CCP is particularly worried that if the desire for values such as democracy and freedom among the Chinese people strengthens, it will shake its ruling foundation.” He noted, “The CCP attempts to ensure its security and stability by opposing the export of American and universal values.”