Editor's Note: On July 25th, an international meeting in Opposition to the US-led New Cold War on China organized by scholars and activists from 48 countries voluntarily was broadcast live on Zoom, Facebook and YouTube simultaneously. The joint statement with 14-language version of "A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity" has attracted great attention from the international community. The event brought together 17 well-known scholars and opinion leaders from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Russia, Canada, Venezuela, Brazil and other countries to participate in the speech. As the only Chinese think tank scholar invited to speak, Wang Wen, executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China(RDCY), delivered a speech. Here is the full text of the speech.

Thank you! Thank you for having me. As a Chinese scholar, I’m very grateful for so many international friends to join the “No New Cold War” initiative. This is a very important event.

Actually, in the next three months, before the US election, will be a high-risk period for China-US relations. The Trump administration can do anything to win the election. So it is not ruled out that military conflicts against China will be launched by Trump administration.

The Trump's China policy now is quite crazy and has no bottom line.

Trump now is likely to announce a diplomatic break with China. One of Trump's election strategies is to constantly provoke China. If China strikes back, no one in the US will pay attention to trump's failure in the fight against the Pandemic. Trump can also pretend to be a strong political man who dares to fight against China to get more votes. Now China maintains patience, so Trump keeps stimulating until China and the US break off diplomatic relations, and even a war. If so, it will be a disaster to China-US relations, as well as mankind and the world. I think this is an open political conspiracy. The Trump administration is the source of this disaster.

Fortunately, China wasn’t irritated as the Soviet Union was in 1947 by the “Iron Curtain Speech.” China has no intention to respond to the US with a new cold war.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech with a huge amount of information about US and China relations on July 9th. Wang Yi stressed that China-US relations face “the most severe challenge since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979.” And he called on China-US ties to get “Back on track toward long-term, sound and steady development.”

His proposals are very pragmatic with details. First, to activate and open all the channels of dialogue. Second, to review and agree on the lists of interactions. Third, to focus and cooperate on the COVID-19 response.

Contrary to the speeches, respectively delivered by US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Wang Yi’s speech neither lied about the US nor attacked the country. It did not convey any hard-line gesture to coerce the US. It was full of wisdom and seeks recommendations for the healthy development of China-US relations and resolutions for problems.  

The US is pressing the accelerator to trash bilateral relations now. But China is putting the brakes on with the hope of preventing China-US relations from continuing to plummet.

Obviously, the Trump administration’s strategy to shape China as an enemy won’t succeed.

For example, on early July, my institute, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, completed a questionnaire of 100 Chinese scholars. In that questionnaire, 62 percent of those polled believe the US is waging a new cold war against China. But 82 percent hold the view that a new cold war resembling the US-Soviet Union Cold War is unlikely. Besides, 90 percent believe China is well prepared to handle a new cold war offensive launched by the US.

Anyway, in my opinion, the coronavirus is still raging on. The peak of the pandemic hasn’t yet to come. The pessimistic estimate is that as many as 70 million people may die. If not united, humanity including U.S will likely enter a dark age.

Therefore, I agree some friends right now said.  Americans should know that China is not the enemy, the virus is. And all the international friends should know we don’t need cold war.

Thank you!