U.S. State Department internal guidance document distinguishes between the CCP and the Chinese people

 Direct translation

Breaking news! No longer recognize Xi Jinping as the president! U.S. State Department internal guidance document shockingly exposed

—VOA Exclusive: U.S. State Department internal guidance document distinguishes between the CCP and the Chinese people

Editor : Fang Xun / Source: Voice of America / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/0304/2184490.html

U.S. State Department —

The United States is drawing a sharp distinction between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese people, setting the tone for Washington to view Beijing’s government — rather than the broader population — as a strategic competitor, according to an internal document obtained by Voice of America (VOA).

The approach is largely consistent with the State Department’s public messaging late in President Donald Trump’s first administration.

In a recent guidance document on China-related terminology, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed U.S. embassies and consulates to use more specific descriptive terms and avoid using the adjective “Chinese” when it could imply a negative connotation about the broader Chinese people, culture or language.

Prior to the latest instructions, the State Department’s website removed references to the “People’s Republic of China” when referring to the Chinese government, and a fact sheet now simply refers to the country as “China.”

The internal document instructs the State Department to use “CCP” when discussing government actions in public speeches or press releases, recognizing that the CCP has ultimate authority over China’s political, economic, military and many other decisions.

However, the document advises against using “Chinese” as an adjective when describing China’s malign behavior to prevent the perception that the U.S. government is blaming the Chinese people for those actions, according to the memo.

The document also advises the U.S. to avoid using terms that reflect the ideology of Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.

Under the directive, Xi should be referred to as the “General Secretary” of the Communist Party, rather than the “President,” reflecting that the party is greater than the government — an approach roughly in line with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s approach.

In the internal guidance, Rubio reiterated the State Department’s fact sheet on U.S. policy toward China, which emphasizes that the United States will approach its relationship with China in accordance with the principles of “reciprocity and fairness.”

In addition, the State Department should avoid using words from former President Joe Biden's administration, such as "invest-coordinate-compete" and "responsibly manage" U.S.-China relations.

In Beijing, Chinese officials expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to the State Department's changes to the fact list, accusing the U.S. side of "stirring up so-called Sino-U.S. strategic competition."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on Monday that China "has lodged solemn representations to the U.S. side" after Rubio's recent media interview. Beijing believes that these remarks are "full of Cold War thinking."

In Washington, analysts said it is not unusual for the U.S. State Department to make changes to policy descriptions on its website, which often happens after a new administration takes office.

"We are still waiting to see how the (Trump) administration" formulates its broader China strategy, said Brian Hart, deputy director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. However, he mentioned in a discussion hosted by the center on Monday that official website updates are common during the transition period of government change.