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| EDITION Wednesday, 14, 2021 | 9 VIEWS

Benyamin Poghosyan China’s foreign policy raises ’s hopes

elations between coun- China’s views on the great powers will abandon their exchanges, and build a sound ecosys- . They share thousands consider withdrawing from the tries were, are and will be geopolitical manipulations and the tem. of years of and respect tra- “International Religious Freedom complicated. Their diver- future of international motto of “might makes right.” Sadly, China is steadfast in its commit- ditional values, and are committed or Belief ” or issue a state- gent interests often trigger relations based on win- during both the and post- ment to uphold peace, pursue to protecting their national identi- ment that Armenia will not sign any Rcompetition and sometimes con- Cold War eras, the world witnessed joint development, and foster part- ty and sovereignty. Armenia declaration or document of the alli- frontation. Since ancient times, the win cooperation and the widespread duplicity and nerships. China is the only power appreciates China’s support, ance criticizing China, as the alli- motto “might makes right” has been respect regardless of the hypocrisy of the leading Western that has never bullied or invaded including in improving public ance was established by the US with perceived as the governing princi- powers. any , while the of transportation and medical vehi- the motive of using it as a propa- ple of . size and strength of a While bombing Serbia in 1999 on major European countries and the cles, and supplying 100,000 COV- ganda tool against China and In his famous work History of the country are truly revolu- the pretext of saving and spreading US are plagued by , the ID-19 vaccines. exploiting the issue of religious free- Peloponnesian War, the ancient “” and invading in slave , and other abhorrent Together with and , dom, in order to interfere in China’s Athenian historian Thucydides tionary. gross violation of international , violations of human rights and Armenia is working to launch the internal affairs. described a dialogue between the Western powers turned a blind human dignity. “-Black Sea” interna- China’s views on the future of Athens and Melos, focusing on one eye to the large-scale human rights China’s development and grow- tional multimodal transport corri- international relations based on single sentence — the strong do asm, hoping that the European violations in the countries that sup- ing strength are a source of hope dor to connect Iran with . win-win cooperation and respect what they can, and the weak suffer countries and later the United ported their geopolitical agenda. for small countries such as Arme- Armenia believes this corridor can regardless of the size and strength what they must. As an ancient civili- States will pursue a foreign policy The world once more saw the nia, whose interests have for be integrated into the Belt and of a country are truly revolutionary. zation, Armenia — the first Armeni- based on the principles of justice US-led ’s double standard and been sacrificed by the great West- Road Initiative, providing another As a small state located at the geo- an state was established around and fairness. Unfortunately, the hypocrisy in 2020 when it imposed ern powers. The Belt and Road Ini- route for China to reach Europe political flashpoint with clashing 2000 BC — has often faced the cruel reality was quite different. In the sanctions on and criticized , tiative is another manifestation of Iran, Armenia, Georgia and the interests of Russia, , Iran, the reality of international relations 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, China and other countries, which China’s foreign policy aimed at win- Black Sea. US and the , Arme- throughout its 4,000-year history. Armenia witnessed the hypocrisy do not accept the US’ global hegem- win cooperation. invest- Sino-Armenian relations have nia will benefit much from China’s The development of the Europe- and double standard of the British ony, for their alleged human rights ments in hard and digital two key dimensions — economic efforts to make international rela- an , started by the Ren- , German Empire, Austro- violations. support the develop- and political. Armenia needs to tions fairer and more inclusive. As aissance and continued through the Hungarian Empire, and other key In the current situation, China ing in their pursuit of explore the Chinese market and such, Armenia looks forward to Enlightenment, brought hope to players of the European “Grand stands alone as the sole power which development, and their efforts to adhere to an “Export to China” strengthening relations with China Europe as well as other parts of the Chessboard”. strives for fair international rela- reduce and improve peo- strategy covering different sectors, and supports it in its efforts to world that a of internation- The two world wars necessitated tions. Chinese President ’s ple’s living standards. from to the mobile app establish a fair and just internation- al relations will emerge in which the redefining of international rela- concept of building a community The generous support of China to market. On the political front, al environment. the interests of the small states will tions and upholding of new state- with a shared future for mankind is the developing world during the Armenia should support China in be protected, and the great powers craft principles. The establishment the only alternative to the predatory COVID-19 , including the areas significant for and, as The author is chairman of the - will cease to use them as pawns in of the and later policies of the great powers. China supply of vaccines, is another - a minimum requirement, refrain ter for Political and Economic Stra- their geopolitical games. the triggered hope calls on the international communi- festation of the new foreign policy from participating in projects that tegic Studies, Yerevan, Armenia. The Armenian embraced that after the immense tragedies of ty to promote partnerships, security, principles advocated by China. are hostile to Beijing. The views don’t necessarily reflect these developments with enthusi- the first half of the 20 century, the , inter-civilization Armenia and China are friendly In this context, Armenia could those of China Daily. US only pretends to defend ’ rights

Editor’s Note: While claiming to issue on April 14, in be the sole defender of human response to the hypocrisy of the US, rights, including the rights of Mus- Iran’s ambassador to China lims, around the world, the has been treating American Mohammad Keshavarz-Zadeh said Muslims as second-class citizens. A that since 2001, the US has couple of scholars and a reputable launched wars or attacks religious institute share their views against no less than 80 countries on the issue with China Daily. since 2001, which have claimed Excerpts follow: more than 800,000 lives, including those of 330,000 civilians, and dis- US uses duplicity to placed millions from their homes in suppress Muslims , Iraq, and other The United States prides itself as countries. a “beacon of human rights”, but it If the US really cares about the doesn’t have any intention of end- rights of Muslims, the Iranian ing the serious discrimination ambassador said, it should apolo- against American Muslims. In the gize to these Islamic countries and name of human rights, it often stirs stop bombing their . up conflicts and spreads hatred, Racial discrimination has deep and interferes in the internal affairs roots in the US. And the fact that of other countries, thereby putting Muslims in the US are also victims the safety of people around the of means world, including Muslims, at risk. they face double discrimination. has deep roots in the US. Speaking on counter-terrorism Even almost two decades after the at the White in February Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mus- 2015, , then US pres- lims are stigmatized and marginal- ident, said: “ has been inter- ized in the US, and live under fear, twined with this country since its threats and . Also, hate earliest days.” Which lifted an ugly crimes against Muslims in the US lid on US history. Political discrimi- have been rising for years. In fact, nation against, and the oppression in the run-up to the 2018 US mid- of, Muslims in the US started with term , anti-Muslim rhetor- the founding of the country and ic surged, fuelled by politicians. has its roots in the sinful slave And conspiracy theories against trade. Muslims became mainstream poli- Islam spread in , especially tics. North Africa, after the con- According to a report of the quered many African countries and Council of American-Islam Rela- / china daily established their rule there before tions in 2018, the of anti- the New World was discovered. Muslim groups in the US has Which means many of the African tripled since 2016, and the negative To turn the rest of the tions on Iran and other countries Washington indifferent rights first” policies. but the fact is, slaves forcibly taken to the US and depiction of Muslims in films and for their alleged human rights vio- to human sufferings Muslims in the US face increasing other parts of the New World were TV, which is essentially “racist” and world’s attention from lations, and refused to lift the sanc- Using the banner of “universal discriminations. Muslims. based on stereotypes, has promoted the US’ ugly truth, tions even after the COVID-19 values”, US politicians have been For instance, according to a sur- What Obama said is a part of US discrimination, hostility and vio- pandemic broke out, exacerbating criticizing other countries, which vey, 75 percent of Muslims history that the white elites have lence against American Muslims. American politicians the plight of the people and leading don’t share the US’ ideas and inter- (and 69 percent of ordinary Ameri- been trying to conceal. Although the US has been des- and media have been to economic depression. ests about human rights, in a bid to cans) said Muslims in the US face a According to a 2017 Pew survey, perately trying to embellish its In the Israeli-Palestinian con- push forward its agenda and fulfill lot of discrimination. And during the US has about 3.45 million Mus- international image as a land of hyping up the issue of flict, the US has repeatedly its narrow goals. the 2018 midterm elections, more lims, who make up about 1.1 per- religious and racial diversity, toler- “religious discrimina- opposed the consensus among the The US also used the pretext of than one-third of the candidates cent of the country’s . ance and openness, it was the only member states of the United protecting “universal values” to claimed violence is inherent to And American Muslims are facing country in the world to ban the tion” against Muslims Nations and supported . In invade Afghanistan and Iraq, and Muslims and they pose an immi- rising discrimination because US entry of Muslims from Iran, Iraq, in China. This is similar the face of Israel’s brutal killings of bomb Syria and Iran causing hun- nent threat to others, and nearly political elites have turned the “war Libya, , , Syria and Palestinians, the US has stood dreds of thousands of deaths and one-third said Muslims in the US on terror” into a war against Mus- , proving that white to a thief crying “stop against human and untold human sufferings. should be deprived of their basic lims since the 9/11 attacks. It is the supremacy is rooted in its bones. the thief” to escape. morality. On May 16, it blocked, for Also, the US’ indifference to the rights. US politicians’ hostility toward Former US president Donald the third time, the adoption of a human rights situation in the Mid- Muslims and Islam that has sowed Trump, who repeatedly made dis- joint statement by the UN Security dle East is a major reason why the The Institute of World Religions, the seeds of discrimination against criminatory remarks against Mus- lims in the US in violation of the Council calling for a cease- Palestinian-Israeli issue remains Chinese Academy of Social Sciences American Muslims. lims during his presidential basic tenet of the US between Israel and , and unresolved. The US’ domestic poli- To turn the rest of the world’s campaign in 2016, imposed the that provide equal protection to peo- the protection of civilians. and cies toward Muslims are discrimi- Hatred against Muslims attention from the US’ ugly truth, blatantly racial ban on Sept 25, ple of all religions and ethnicities. instead agreed to sell Israel $735 natory and have left the community has roots in US history American politicians and media 2017, eight months after being The administration has repeated- million worth of precision-guided feeling more and more insecure. Since the end of , the have been hyping up the issue of sworn in as US president. ly resorted to double standard weapons. As Chinese Foreign Min- Muslim groups in the US have US-led West and media have “religious discrimination” against And despite the condemnation of against Muslims in the US and oth- istry spokesperson Hua Chunying also been the target of hate crimes, been hyping up the “cot- Muslims in China. the ban and the waves of protests er countries — it rampantly dis- said, the US says it cares about the especially since the Sept 11, 2001, ton issue”, accusing China of using This is similar to a thief crying from religious groups and humani- criminates against Muslims at human rights of Muslims, but it attacks. Official data show the “forced labor” and violating human “stop the thief” to escape. There- tarian organizations at home and home and pretends to protect the turns a blind eye to the sufferings number of hate crimes against rights in the cotton fields and facto- fore, Beijing should be on the guard abroad, the US rights and interests of those in oth- of the Palestinian people. Muslims in the US during the Jan 1 ries, even claiming that China prac- against Washington’s evil designs judges voted five to four in favor of er countries. Human rights are just a political to Sept 10, 2001 period was 260 but tices “religious discrimination” and, when needed, counter them Trump’s executive order on 26, On the one hand the US claims to weapon for the US to hide its dirty jumped to 1,502 during the Sept 11, against Muslims. and expose the US’ hypocrisy for all 2018. care about the welfare of Muslims, games and continue its prejudiced 2001, to May 31, 2002 period. The against - to see. Which prompted a commentator on the other it has invaded - deeds that run counter to interna- Washington’s indifference to na is aimed at portraying the to write in a German media outlet istan and Iraq, and bombarded Syr- tional justice. human lives and the global fight US-led West as the protector of Bai Fan, a researcher at the Insti- that Muslim has ia on the pretext of combating against the pandemic have cost Muslims and spoiling the friendly tute of Chinese Borderland Studies, become a law in the US. The article terrorism and caused the deaths of Deng Shuhua, an associate hundreds of thousands of Ameri- relations between China and Mus- Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stressed that the move marked the hundreds of thousands of Muslims research fellow at the Institute of can lives. True, the US loves to blow lim countries. legalization and institutionalization and rendered millions homeless. European Studies, Chinese Acade- its own trumpet when it comes to In an interview with a Chinese The views don’t necessarily repre- of hatred and hostility against Mus- Moreover, it has imposed sanc- my of Social Sciences “religious freedom” and “human newspaper on the so-called - sent those of China Daily.