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Opinion
With the US, China must choose constructive power over destruction
China needs the global system to succeed. So it must not get entangled with Iran nor jeopardise US relations over Taiwan
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Dong Lei is an independent observer of Chinese politics and history, with a particular interest in China’s evolving role in global affairs.
Foreign affairs are not a series of disconnected episodes. They are a test of whether nations learn from history and act with foresight. The United States has often failed that test. It forgets that unchecked aggression leads to wider wars and that removing governments without building new authority invites chaos.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s destabilising role in the Middle East and the collapse of Libya and Afghanistan all testify to what happens when those lessons are ignored.
China, by contrast, has not waged wars of conquest or slaughtered civilians abroad. Its rise has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and reshaped trade. Yet Beijing’s sharp focus on Taiwan, while understandable from its perspective, risks narrowing its vision. China still depends on the global trading system.
That system requires stability, and stability requires accommodation with the US, however pushy Washington may seem.
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