(John McCann, Headline USA) A senior Chinese diplomat has called into question America’s role as leader of the global order in response to former White House advisor John Bolton’s boasts about planning coups in other countries.
Bolton’s remarks have allowed America’s chief rivals to point out the inconsistencies of American rhetoric and foreign policy, the Washington Examiner reported.
“Bolton’s admission is so revealing,” quipped Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. “Leading U.S politicians trumpet the so-called rules-based international order for one purpose: to ensure that the U.S can easily interfere in other countries’ affairs and overthrow their governments at it’s own will.”
Bolton’s remarks to CNN’s Jake Tapper implied that the former national security advisor had a hand in planning many coups. “As somebody who has helped plan coup d’état-not here but, you know, other places—it takes a lot of work,” he said.
While Bolton’s admissions have provided Chinese and Russian officials ammunition for their argument that the current global order must be revised, even American national security experts have pointed out how problematic Bolton’s boasts could be for America’s global reputation.
“The Chinese have a strategic interest in doing whatever they can to undermine this concept of both a Western-led rules-based international order and certainly any concept of a privileged position for the U.S with respect to democracy or rules,” explained Evan Ellis, a research professor at the U.S Army War College.
“If they [China] get people to doubt that the order is legitimate, if you get people to doubt that the U.S is playing by the rules, then that frees up the Chinese to do whatever they want—which generally is pursuing their raw, economic, and other interests,” he warned.
China has already used Bolton’s words to grist for Chinese public diplomacy in places like Latin America, a region that has seen increased Chinese investment and influence.
Wang justified this Chinese involvement in the western hemisphere by acknowledging past U.S efforts to create political upheaval.
The Chinese spokesman concluded his argument by declaring, “overthrowing foreign governments is deep in the bones of how the U.S conducts its foreign policy … this is exactly the kind of ‘rules’ and ‘order’ that people like Bolton want to defend. The people of the world, however, will not let them.”
