Opinion

China is facing not just a trade war with the US but an assault on all fronts. Can it survive, and even thrive?

Andrew K.P. Leung says the US is confronting China in multiple arenas, ranging from technology to Taiwan to the South China Sea.

China can emerge stronger if it makes changes that benefit both itself and the US while retaining its development model

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Andrew Leung has had decades of experience as a senior Hong Kong government official in a variety of fields including finance, industry, social welfare and overseas representation.

Published: 3:00am, 24 Jan 2019Updated: 1:33pm, 24 Jan 2019

While the world anxiously watches the US-China trade talks unfold, there has been all-out resistance against the perceived “China threat”, albeit with uncertain results.

Following a series of national security and defence reviews, there is bipartisan consensus in the US on the need for an anti-China confrontation. China’s rise is regarded as being at America’s expense.

After joining the West-led liberal trading system, not only has China not become more like the West, but it is perceived to be not playing fair, while turning more authoritarian and assertive. Additionally, it now threatens to eat America’s lunch at the technological top table.

To what extent can China withstand this assault on all fronts?

First, amid the trade war, a Politburo meeting in late October underscored the need for “stabilisation” in six areas – employment, finance, investment, foreign capital, foreign trade and expectations.