China’s Envoy Tells US to Drop ‘James Bond’ Theatrics, Work on Repairing Ties

China’s Ambassador to the US called on Washington to drop its “James Bond” theatrics in response to a recent CIA announcement that the agency is forming a new spy center to focus exclusively on Beijing.

In an announcement on the new spy center, CIA Director William Burns identified China as the US’s “most important geopolitical threat.” Chinese ambassador Qin Gang called the CIA chief’s remark “the most serious miscalculation” in bilateral ties and said the US should work to repair relations.

“Shouldn’t the Cold War playbook, travestied from 007 movies, be just left to Hollywood blockbusters?” Qin said in an interview with the Chinese-language broadcaster Phoenix TV, according to The South China Morning Post.

“Some people in the US, immersed in their delusions that they are James Bond, simply can’t resist the urge to act out their own drama. Haven’t they been worn out by such meaningless and harmful actions? Why not give themselves a break?” he added.

Qin said the US should drop its hostility, and the two countries should work on “recoupling” their economies. “We are willing to have further communication with the US side, properly manage differences, and jointly create conditions to expand the positive side of our relations on the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation,” he said.

Qin took his post as ambassador to the US at the end of July and has brought a message of de-escalation to Washington as US-China relations are at their lowest point in decades. In September, Qin delivered a speech where he stressed that China is “not the Soviet Union” and that the US and China should be partners, not enemies.