This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
Published on July 17, 2020
Beijing's foreign ministry has fired back at US officials, accusing them of 'losing their minds' over China policy.
The verbal salvo comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to escalate, with the US imposing sanctions on several Chinese officials and visa bans on others.
US Attorney General Bill Barr had accused Beijing of mounting an 'economic blitzkrieg' to replace Washington as the world's pre-eminent power and spread its political ideology globally.
However, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying dismissed Barr's claims, saying they were an attempt to distract from domestic political problems.
'These people, for self-interest and political gain, do not hesitate to hijack domestic public opinion... to the point where they have lost their minds and gone mad,' Hua said.
She added that China had no intention of challenging or replacing the US and hoped that Washington could 'return to rationality' in its China policy.
'A sparrow cannot understand the ambition of a swan,' Hua said, in a veiled criticism of US officials' understanding of China's strategic intent.
