Rising 'Red Scare' in Washington raises concern over Sino-US ties

The outcry over a senior US State Department official's racist comment against China last week is the latest proof of the growing "Red Scare" in Washington.

Kiron Skinner, the department's policy planning director, told a security forum in Washington on April 29 that the competition with China is "a fight with a really different civilization and a different ideology and the US hasn't had that before". She added that "it's the first time that we will have a great power competitor that is not Caucasian".

The comment was so shocking that even the usual critical China watchers in Washington did not come out to defend her. Instead, many pointed out that her remarks were way out of line.