China should welcome a strong and prosperous America – in words as well as deeds
Zha Daojiong says Beijing has more to lose if real conflict breaks out between the two powers as a result of the fighting talk by Trump and his team, so why not directly address US worries?
Is the relationship between the US and China destined to start off on a negative footing under president Donald Trump? Less than a week before Trump’s inauguration, such a question seems redundant. The pattern of the rhetoric from Trump and his foreign policy team can be likened to a team of enraged bulls charging into a china shop – pun intended.
US should not allow Taiwan issue to hurt its all-important relationship with China
Viewed from Beijing, where I am based, it is important to bear in mind that during the entire US presidential campaign season, “Let’s get tougher on China” emerged as a consensus message across the US political spectrum. Voices against confrontation were few and effectively cast aside.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, was reported to want to “ring China with missiles”. Trump not only spoke of China in a mode that echoed America’s “Japan-bashing” fever of the 1980s, he also directly touched the most sensitive nerve of the Chinese government and people: the status of Taiwan.
Watch: The winners and losers in Trump versus China
China has repeatedly stated that its position on the basis for normal diplomatic ties – that foreign governments accept the Chinese government’s “one China” principle – is non-negotiable. (The Chinese appetite for satisfying the Trump team’s demands on other matters may not be that strong, either.)
The time has come for China to address Americans’ seemingly pervasive sense of vulnerability
Few expect Trump to switch his government’s recognition of “one China” from Beijing to Taipei. Under his leadership, the United States is more likely to pursue policies that come across as poking Beijing in the eye. Then, the extent of Beijing’s tolerance comes into question. And the prospect of active conflict between China and the US over Taiwan seems less distant.
In my mind, the stakes are higher for China than the US. An overwhelming majority of Chinese citizens have attained a better life than that of their parents, thanks to the past 40 years of peaceful development in China. A war over Taiwan (or indeed over the islands and rocks in the surrounding seas) could destroy any hope of similar progress for our next generation.
Amid the many external challenges facing American society, is China being singled out by the US government? If one judges that by the commentaries in the mainstream Chinese media, the answer is an overwhelming “yes”. If one goes by what’s in the American media, the answer is “no”. The media in both countries are striking in their sense of self-righteousness.
