BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- There is a psychological theory: "Your perception of others reveals so much about your own personality."
When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Australia for the annual Australia-United States Ministerial summit, he, unsurprisingly, attacked China once again on the issues of the South China Sea and the Belt and Road Initiative.
"We also stand firmly against a disturbing pattern of aggressive behavior, destabilizing behavior, from China," he said.
It is laughable to hear a thief crying "catch the thief."
Facts speak louder than words, and history will show whose behavior is more aggressive and destabilizing.
The Congressional Research Service in the United States had a report listing instances of the use of United States Armed Forces abroad between 1789 and 2019, which was updated on July 17.
The report, as long as 47 pages, listed hundreds of instances "in which the United States has used its armed forces abroad in situations of military conflict or potential conflict or for other than normal peacetime purposes."
The United States claimed that it was trying to save lives with military intervention, only to plunge countries like Libya and Iraq in predicament.
Libya once recorded favorable growth rates, with an estimated 10.6 percent growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010.
In 2011, however, the United States pushed for military intervention in the country. Seven years later, Libya's per capita GDP only stood at 60 percent of its pre-war levels. In the words of Britain's special envoy Jonathan Powell, the country has become a "Somalia on the Mediterranean."
Similar things happened in other countries as well.
"In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, Washington toppled regimes and then failed to plan for a new government or construct effective local forces -- with the net result being over 7,000 dead U.S. soldiers, tens of thousands of injured troops, trillions of dollars expended, untold thousands of civilian fatalities, and three Islamic countries in various states of disorder," said an article titled "The Legacy of Obama's 'Worst Mistake'" carried by The Atlantic.
Pompeo also reportedly accused China of using "predatory economics" and "debt" to reach savage deals with Pacific Island and other nations.
This is another cliche.
Tongan Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva has clarified that "China has never claimed to collect the debts or take the assets from Tonga in any way, and the governments of Tonga and China have maintained contacts regarding the repayment of the concessional loans."
Ranil Wickremesinghe, prime minister of Sri Lanka, has also publicly stated that "Sri Lanka was not falling into a debt trap caused by ... Chinese loans" nor "ceding control of strategically vital ports to Chinese control."
It is hard to talk to someone, who, sticking to his own theories, always turns a deaf ear to you.
Earlier this year, the United States, with the trade tensions underway, forced the European Union to agree to a large chunk of international beef import quota exclusively for American products. The result was a dwindling allocation for others like Australia, which was previously the largest user of the quota.
Think carefully: Do you really want a so-called "friend and ally" like the United States?
