Hey America, this just in: China feels strong. And funny.

And the joke’s on us. And Russia.

According to the Associated Press, on Tuesday China’s ruling Communist Party said — out loud — that the United States and the former Soviet Union “must now allow the conflict in Syria to develop into a full-blown proxy war”. They also poked both superpowers in the ribs by adding that they had an old-fashioned Cold War mentality.

Heh.

More from the AP (via the Japan Times):

In an editorial in its flagship People’s Daily newspaper, the party also reiterated China’s view that a negotiated political solution is the only way to end the conflict, setting Beijing apart from the U.S., which is backing the opposition, and Russia, whose forces are aiding Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“Syria has already seen the suffering of too many innocents. Resolving the matter through politics is the only solution that most suits the interests of the Syrian people,” the editorial said.

While the U.S. and the former Soviet Union frequently used diplomatic, economic and military means to extend their influence in other nations, that thinking belonged to the last century, the paper said.

“However, the world has entered the 21st century and people’s thinking should enter the 21st century as well,” it said. “People shouldn’t allow the Syrian conflict to escalate into a full-scale proxy war, or lightly give up on efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis and cannot permit the Syrian humanitarian disaster to continue.”

China, really, shouldn’t talk. When the particular conflict in the Middle East arose it was their leaders that sabotaged outside intervention (along with Russia) at the United Nations.