Change of light bulbs needed in Washington: China Daily editorial

The US Capitol building is shrouded in haze in Washington, DC, the United States, on June 7, 2023. Notably, there is also legislation being put to the vote that could close Hong Kong's economic and trade offices in the US. The bill, called the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act, would require the White House to "remove the extension of certain privileges, exemptions and immunities" to the three economic and trade offices on the grounds that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region no longer enjoys a high degree of autonomy. With the US presidential election just two months away, it should come as no surprise that the China hawks in the US are attempting to raise the profile of their anti-China campaign, under the premise of tackling what they allege are "national and economic security threats" posed by China since "There's no political consequence to being too tough on China," as Rory Murphy, vice-president of government affairs at the US-China Business Council, put it. It is indicative of the zero-sum hegemonic mindset that festers in Washington that rather than establishing guardrails for China-US relations as proposed, some US politicians are trying to turn the House's first week back from its summer break into the stage for China-bashing to curb and counter China's influence, which belies US President Joe Biden's statement that the US has no intention to halt China's economic development or to contain China.