China says U.S. report filled with Cold War mentality

Asian Political News, July 22, 2002

BEIJING, July 16 Kyodo

China on Tuesday blasted a U.S. report calling for a tougher trade and security policy towards China as being suffused with an outdated Cold War mentality and accused its authors of having ''very evil intentions.''

The report, prepared by a U.S. bipartisan congressional group and released Monday, groundlessly plays up impressions that China's development threatens the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan was quoted by the state-run Xinhua News Agency as saying.

''Unprejudiced and peace-loving people have no reason to fear China's development, which benefits global peace and stability,'' Kong said.

To avoid damage to China-U.S. ties, Washington should take concrete measures to eliminate the negative impact of the report, he added.

The report, prepared by the U.S-China Commission, states that China is vying to check U.S. presence in Asia and warns that its growing economic integration with its Asian neighbors could lead to its dominance of the region.

Questioning the validity of the dominant theory in Washington that economic engagement with China encourages democratic development there, the report calls on China-based U.S. companies to pass on regular reports on technology transfers and investments.

The commission also accuses China of failing to control the export of dual-use items to terrorist-sponsoring states, which it says is spurring the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery system.

The commission, created in 2000 to consider U.S. economic and security policies toward China, is made up of six Republicans and six Democrats who are appointed by Congress for their China expertise.