China's leading newspaper took a swipe at American "bullying" on Wednesday in a tone-setting editorial that continued to reject the United States' framing of the relationship as rivalrous following the latest talks between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden.
In the Communist Party's flagship People's Daily, the Chinese leadership's pen name "Zhong Shang" said "a correct view of each other's domestic and foreign policies and strategic intentions" was a prerequisite for properly managing bilateral relations, an urgent objective in both capitals.
"The U.S. view of China as the 'most important strategic competitor' and the 'most significant geopolitical challenge' is a misjudgement of China-U.S. relations and a misreading of China's development," the paper said. "It will only mislead the peoples of the two countries and the international community."
The page 4 column, which otherwise closely mirrored Xi's remarks to Biden on Monday, especially on Taiwan, took aim at U.S. efforts to selectively decouple from China economically and especially technologically, moves Washington has attributed to national security concerns.
"Engaging in trade and technology wars, building artificial 'walls and barricades' and pushing for 'decoupling and severing [supply] chains' completely violate the principles of market economy and undermine international trade rules," it said, "which will only harm others while failing to benefit oneself."
"China has a glorious tradition of self-improvement," the People's Daily op-ed said. "All suppression and containment will only inspire the will and enthusiasm of the Chinese people."
"China has its own longstanding principles and bottom line, and legitimate interests that must be firmly safeguarded, and will not succumb to any hegemonic bullying," the column said.
Biden went into the talks with Xi, their first time in person since Biden was elected U.S. president two years ago, wanting to establish mutual "red lines" in order to prevent competition between the two countries from getting out of hand.
China and the U.S. remain at odds over a number of issues, including Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. The White House tempered expectations by highlighting the fact of the meeting itself, although Biden and Xi did jointly oppose the use of nuclear weapons, a nod to the Kremlin's saber-rattling in recent weeks.