Chinese state media says US 'dying from within' as Beijing drafts next 5-year plan

'political polarisation' and recent large-scale protests against Donald Trump, says tariffs 'backfired' on Americans Chinese state media has labelled the US a failed state, claiming it is "dying from within" as its global hegemony declines.<


The commentary published in Beijing Dally on Tuesday came as China's policymakers prepared to outline long-term plans amid intensifying competition with Washington. Beijing on Monday began a key four-day conclave that will determine the country's devel- opment over the next five years.


The fourth plenum of the Communist Party's Central Committee, which runs through Thurs-day, revolves around formulating a blueprint to guide economic development from 2026 to 2030 amid a trade war led by US President <


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Despite months of negotiations, tensions between the rival powers escalated in recent weeks over economic sanctions, export controls and Trump's threat of an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods.

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Tuesday's commentary sought to highlight the situation in the United States, saying that "po-litical polarisation is intensifying ... and domestic governance is increasingly strained" in the country.

"Where is the dignity of a major power? For decades, the US maintained its glossy image through global hegemony, but now it has entered a downward spiral of decline," it said.

"The halo was always an illusion, and the myth was fragile. To borrow Trump's own words:

America has, in many ways, become a failed state, it is 'dying from within'."

The commentary cited recent large-scale protests across America and the US federal government shutdown as well as Trump's tariff measures, which it described as "having once again backfired on ordinary Americans".

On Saturday, protesters took to the streets across the US for "No Kings" rallies, denouncing what they argued were Trump's authoritarian tendencies and corruption. Organisers estimated that more than seven million people marched in the protests held from New York to Los Angeles, with demonstrations popping up in smaller cities across the country, according to US media reports. It was the third such mass mobilisation since Trump returned to the White House in January, and it took place against the backdrop of a government shutdown that has closed federal programmes and services. The shutdown began on October 1 after congressional Democrats and Republicans could not agree on how to continue funding the federal government. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump posted an Al-generated video that depicted him in a fighter jet dumping brown sludge on protesters. ADVERTISEMENT On Tuesday, Beijing Daily, citing the video, wrote: "The 'mud' may be virtual, but what it reveals is painfully real - the US president and both political parties care little for the struggles of ordinary people." <


It also referred to the wildfires that struck greater Los Angeles earlier this year, saying "the supposedly efficient US system proved paralysed, placing political self-interest far above human lives". "One incident after another keeps tearing away the 'Uncle Sam' facade, exposing the empire's decay for all to see." "The illusion is shattered: so this is America - this is what it really is." On Chinese social media platforms, a number of users discussing American politics poked fun at what they described as "chaos" in the US, while some commended the protesters for expressing demands.<


Earlier this year, Chinese state media portrayed American governance in a similarly unflattering light. In a commentary in June, Beijing Youth Daily said the Los Angeles protests against Trump's immigration policies were proof of a broken government and a lack of social cohesion in the country. <


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