A saner world does not want to believe that the competition between China and the US, which has now turned into a fierce rivalry, is fast becoming another Cold War. What transpires between these two great powers has become a worldwide worry, particularly for the developing world, which largely depends on either of them, as both countries contribute 40% of global economic output. China began to irk the US in 2010 when Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill gave his analysis that China would overtake the US as the top economy by 2027. To the world, China’s meteoric rise is an unfathomable development that undoubtedly causes ripples in international politics. Commenting on the swift rise of China, former Czech President Vaclav Havel made interesting remarks: “All this has happened so quickly that we have not yet had time to be astonished.”
The notion of containing China found traction after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlined the US strategy of “pivot to Asia” in an essay written for Foreign Policy magazine, calling for an enhanced presence in the Asia Pacific Region. Since then, escalatory moves in the trade war by the US and China, tension in the South China Sea, US support for Hong Kong protests, the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, human rights abuses, the Russia-Ukraine war, concerns arising from Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and a host of other issues have been constantly damaging the cordiality of the relationship.
Last month, a suspicious Chinese spy balloon was seen floating over silos in Montana and was shot down by the US Air Force over shallow waters off the coast of South Carolina. According to the US administration, the balloon was a blatant violation of US airspace and part of a larger Chinese surveillance-balloon program. On the contrary, the Chinese government accused the US of overreacting to a weather monitoring craft and referred to it as a “sign of American decline.” For China, it was a weather balloon that swung off course, but for the US, it was “much more sinister” than what China wants the world to believe. The incident ignited a firestorm and triggered a considerable reaction by the US. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was about to embark on his China trip, opted to put off his travel to China.
Not long after the balloon imbroglio, statements by top Chinese leaders added fuel to the fire that has gripped both countries, and a verbal brawl began, with the potential to intensify hostilities beyond imagination. While making a speech at the “Two Sessions” that brings together top political leaders to carry out major political decisions, President Xi said, “Western countries led by the US have implemented all-round containment, encirclement, and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our country’s development.” It was unusual for President Xi Jinping to make a statement that implicates or directly refers to the US as a hostile entity.
Around the same time, China’s former ambassador to the US, Mr. Qin Gang, who has now assumed the responsibility as China’s Foreign Minister, gave a stern warning to the US of the “catastrophic consequences” of a “reckless gamble” by Washington. He said, “If the United States does not hit the brakes but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation.”
Given the current situation, relations between the US and China are spiraling dangerously, and this calls for great statesmanship, as well as political and diplomatic acumen, to craft a strategy to address the issue. This heightened superpower confrontation, if it turns into a Cold War, will undoubtedly put the developing world that depends on them in hot waters. Global political leaders have a responsibility to help prevent the escalation of a dangerous and consequential Cold War, as the signs of such a conflict are becoming increasingly clear.