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HONG KONG, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Washington's empire is established on lust for power, and that is what makes it different from Beijing, which focuses on cooperation and mutual respect, said a recent opinion piece by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

"Washington's empire" is "built on foundations of greed and lust for power," said the article by writer and political commentator John Wight published earlier in July.

Its "imperial arrogance" is the same with that accompanying any empire, "established in the name not of peace and prosperity, but of war and exploitation," Wight wrote.

Wight noted in the opinion that "the key difference between Washington and Beijing's engagement with the world is the difference between domination and partnership."

"Where the U.S. seeks to dominate, China seeks to cooperate. Where the U.S. has a policy of interfering in other states' internal affairs, China has a non-interference policy out of respect for sovereignty," he wrote.

The democracy and human rights Washington purports to represent are "but the flowery curtains behind which the savage beast of hegemony lives," he added.