China’s Global Times regime newspaper used the 18th anniversary of the jihadist attacks on America on September 11, 2001, to call America a “disgrace” and complain Washington has prevented “greater achievements” in “global governance” since.

In an article titled, “U.S. Disgraces World Since 9/11 Attacks,” the Global Times chided the United States for identifying China as a national security threat, claiming the administration of President Donald Trump “has seriously undermined the post-Cold War major power relations centered on cooperation.”

“The US is the most powerful country in the world. We believe it has special responsibilities in making the world more peaceful and orderly,” the article, who author is identified only as “Global Times,” read. “Regrettably, Washington has failed to do so, and has set a bad example for the world by being selfish, capricious and even rude.”

The Communist Party publication claimed that America’s war on terror “has been effective” and that the United States “is relatively safe,” complaining that, despite this, “terrorism has spread across the world.”

“Washington has been upholding the ‘America First’ policy and taking subversive action in recent years. This has seriously impacted the fragile world order, and allowed various risks to peace to grow,” the publication insisted. “Looking back at the counter-terrorism war, people will find out that the US didn’t get at the root of eliminating terrorism. In recent years, terrorist activities have more frequently occurred in a larger range of places, involving increasingly diverse radical people.”

The Global Times blamed “hatred and misunderstanding” generated by the United States for blocking “achievements” by “global governance” with policies aimed at eliminating terrorism.

The newspaper concludes its diatribe by declaring the September 11 attacks “a huge tragedy.” The piece does not condemn al-Qaeda, the jihadist group responsible, by name, nor does it describe what occurred on September 11, 2001, or the continued threat of jihadist attacks on U.S. soil.

Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airplanes on that day, flying two of them into each tower of New York City’s World Trade Center, a third into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania without hitting its target due to the intervention of passengers. Officials have put the death count at 2,997 people. Another 20,000 people suffered injuries and illnesses related to the pollution created by the collapse of the twin towers, most of them first responders injured in rescue attempts or sickened by ingesting toxic fumes.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, considered the mastermind of the attacks, has not yet seen a trial for his alleged deeds. Authorities at Guantánamo Bay, where he has been held since 2006, announced recently his trial would begin on January 11, 2021.

The Global Times also highlighted “condolences” from “netizens” on Wednesday – its term for the allegedly organic opinions of Chinese people on social media, though the Communist Party strictly censors all forms of speech – that largely consisted of attacking the United States for its response to the jihadist attacks.

“People who died in 9/11 attacks were innocent. Do not forget that more people who were killed by bombs dropped by the US in Afghanistan were also innocent,” a “netizen” reportedly said. “The US government and its shameless politicians have the responsibility for the incident since they shamelessly interfered with other countries’ affairs and stealthily supported terrorists.”

The Global Times offered no proof that this comment was left anywhere online, but claimed it was left on a post on Sina Weibo, the highly controlled Chinese social media platform. China does not allow its citizens to use the world’s biggest social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

The “netizens” article did mention al-Qaeda, arguing that the world must band together against “religious extremism,” a term Beijing often uses to repress its Christian population.

“The 9/11 attacks and the modern terrorism and extremism they represent originated from Islamist fundamentalist ideology, which threatens both China and the West,” the newspaper quoted a “scholar” as saying.

The Chinese Communist Party has used radical Islamic terrorism as an excuse to violently repress its Uighur, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz western minorities, building concentration camps housing an estimated 3 million people. Testimonies from camp survivors – many Kazakhs who appealed to Kazakhstan for their release – has revealed the use of torture to force Muslims to abandon their religion, worship Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, eat pork, and learn Mandarin, a language not common in western Xinjiang province.

On Monday, China’s foreign ministry insisted, responding to American condemnation of the camps, that their goal is “to save the people who are deceived by or even have joined terrorist forces.”

Xinjiang borders Afghanistan, home to the Taliban terrorist group that continues to harbor al-Qaeda. The Taliban’s presence in Afghanistan has significantly hindered China’s plans to dominate Eurasian transport through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which would require high-speed rail and other connecting infrastructure to be constructed through the Taliban’s opium fields.

China has nonetheless attempted to insert itself in the post-9/11 war between America and the Taliban as a means to remove U.S. soldiers from a state that borders Xinjiang.

Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.