The Chinese Foreign Ministry gushed over President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Thursday, although its river of praise read more like a backhanded parting shot at the departing Trump administration than any deep appreciation for the new one.
As Reuters pointed out, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made a point of including a new propaganda phrase adapted by the Chinese Communist Party from a line in Biden’s inaugural speech and repeated by Chinese state media: “I believe if both countries put in the effort, the kind angels can triumph over evil forces.”
The line is a play on Biden saying, “Through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed.” Biden was, in turn, quoting Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address.
“In the past years, the Trump administration, especially Pompeo, has laid too many mines that need to be removed, burned too many bridges that need to be rebuilt, damaged too many roads that need to be repaired,” Hua said on Thursday, referring to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“President Biden also mentioned in his inauguration speech that Americans have much to heal, much to restore. This is exactly what China-U.S. relations need,” she said.
Apparently, that need for healing and restoration is not urgent enough for China to drop the petty-revenge sanctions it imposed on departing Trump officials during the Biden inauguration ceremony.
Even the Biden team thought those sanctions were a bit much, denouncing them as “unproductive and cynical,” but Hua insisted they were appropriate and would remain in force.
“China’s decision to impose sanctions on these U.S. individuals is a legitimate and necessary response to their erroneous behaviors that severely violated China’s sovereignty, security and development interests on China-related issues. It fully demonstrates the Chinese government’s determination to safeguard national interests,” she said.
“I must stress that in the past few years, out of selfish political agenda and bias and hatred against China, some anti-China politicians in the United States planned, worked on and made a lot of crazy moves that severely interfered in China’s internal affairs, undermined China’s interests, hurt the Chinese people’s sentiments, and damaged China-U.S. relations. China has pointed out multiple times that these anti-China politicians will pay for their crazy acts,” she added.
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