Pei Minxing: Is the US -China trade war a conflict of civilization?

Pei Minxing

At the end of last month, at a security forum in Washington, DC, the U.S. State Department's Policy Planning Director Coron Middot; Kouron Skinner described the current US -China conflict as a completely different civilization and ideologyThe struggle, and the United States has never experienced this before.This is obviously to define the confrontation between the Trump administration and China, and this tentative remarks have not been recognized.

George Middot; George Kennan, Paul Middot; Paul Nitze, Richar Middot; Richard N.haass and Annie Middot; Anne-Marie Slancer are all served as serving as as all as all served as.Some outstanding figures of the policy planning director, but Skinner characterized the conflict of civilization that gradually heated up with the United States and China. This view is neither novel nor accurate.Politicist Samuel P.Huntington proposed this concept 25 years ago, and the Communist Party of China itself is an ideological bankruptcy entity.

To make matters worse, all Skinner's remarks are racial.She said that the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union is an internal struggle between the Western family. In contrast, competition with China is considered to be the first strong competitor to face non -white races.I completely forgot that the United States had fought with Japan in World War II.

Some people hope that the conflict between Skinner's white and non -white -rated civilization is just a mistake.Those who intend to sell such ideas must know that they may not only lead to one party's failure in economy or military, but also lead to destruction of the entire society.How to define the conflict between the United States and the middle conflict of policy will have a profound impact.If the United States wants to get wider international support, it must prove that its policy is out of higher moral purpose.

Most commentators believe that the US -China conflict is the struggle between the current great power and its most likely challenger.The two countries seem to be trapped in the well -known Thucydides Trap. In this self -actual prediction, a hegemonic country takes corresponding actions due to the fear of being replaced, which has triggered a global dominant position.war.

However, even if today's conflict is driven by zero and pursuit of power, this should not be the only consideration in the United States.Facing the threat of civilization caused by climate change, the Trump administration only pays attention to the interests of the United States, which seems to be selfish and irresponsible for other countries in the world.

In fact, most countries in the world, including a considerable number of Americans, have no intention of caught another cold war to safeguard the US hegemony.If the U.S. government wants to gain support from the international community to compete with China's strength and influence, it must propose a more convincing reason.

Considering that China's rise under one -party dictatorship threatens the US hegemony, but also threatens international order based on rules, it should not be difficult.Therefore, the United States should not qualify this conflict into a race war, but should focus on China's threat to global institutions.In a broad sense, China has pose a threat to the growth and stability of many other countries.

Regardless of what kind of defects in the international order led by the United States, the benefits it brings to other countries far exceeds any thoughtful alternative system.In fact, during the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the United States received extensive international support because it took the lead in defending this order.Since the end of the Cold War, most countries in the world have either welcomed the US hegemony or accept the US hegemony, provided that the United States will continue to maintain a liberal system.

Unfortunately, this situation no longer exists.US President Trump's government has unaware that the U.S.'s priority is to prioritize the U.S. Foreign Policy Amber. In order to narrow political goals, traditional allies have been alienated and worried about other countries in the world.It is no exaggeration to say that Trump's error policy has no threat to the composition of free order than China.

The Trump administration may continue to think that it is enough to defeat China with its own strength alone.However, it will prove that the price of single fighting alone is high, and if the United States can get the support of the allies, the probability of success will be much higher.

The fact that the recent failed to reach a trade agreement shows that the Cold War in the United States and China is upgrading to the next stage.Sooner or later, the Trump administration will realize that it does need the support of the allies to defeat China.When that day is coming, it is best not to talk about civilized conflict and racial competition, but provide a legitimate reason to fight against China.The United States is a traditional defender of free order; it needs to start doing this.

The author is a professor of government academic professor of Clamemont McKenna College. He is the Chinese Crony Capitalism, the first chairman of the US Congress Library, the first chairman of the US Congress Library.

English Title: Is Trumps Trade War with China A Civilizational Conflict?

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2019