USA China:The Power Struggle Amidst the Pandemic

USA China:While the U.S.-China relationship has become more toxic than ever since their dramatic rapprochement in the 1970s, the two have so far managed to avert a bigger blowup but the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the possibility for a further deterioration in ties.

Some had last year referred to increasingly frosty USA China ties as a new Cold War, but that is an inaccurate description.

USA China:

The broader context of U.S.-China relations is quite different from the geopolitical landscape during the Cold War between Washington and Moscow over four decades ago. Two key factors provided effective buffers against an intensifying of political and strategic relations between Washington and Beijing.

• First, unlike the Soviet Union, China was not overly ambitious of spreading communism around the world.

The conflict between Washington and Beijing over the past few years was over the economy and the military, not over ideology.

• Second, an extensive web of trade and investment ties has anchored the Sino-American relationship, counterbalancing friction in other areas. In contrast, there was little trade and investment between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Until recently, even officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump tended to rule out the possibility that the strained U.S.-China relationship could degenerate into a comprehensive, full-scale confrontation.

But those two key factors are dissipating, and particularly worrisome are increasing signs that the strife between the U.S. and China is assuming ideological hues.

The U.S. death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak has surpassed the number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat during the nine-year Vietnam War.

American anger at the devastation caused by the pandemic is being increasingly directed at the Chinese Communist Party.

There is global race hate that is being passed around due to the outbreak where Chinese citizens living abroad are attacked for ‘spreading the coronavirus’. 

President Trump, as always shocks us with his undiplomatic statements in his press releases.

“There are many things we could do,”

Trump told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo Thursday. 

“We could cut off the whole relationship.”

The US has filed a suit against the PRC asking them to pay fines and penalties that run into a trillion dollars for damaged caused due to the COVID19 which originated in the Chinese province of Hubei- Wuhan.

China seems to be unresponsive in accepting or denying such claims and have been internationally accused of fudging its numbers with regards to the infected and casualties.

No one can confirm or deny this as all reports received by international media about China are sourced from Chinese Government sources and media houses. They did, however, react to the lawsuit by calling it ‘very absurd’.

The U.S. government is also considering measures to cut dependence on Chinese supplies of all kinds, according to Reuters.

The Trump administration plans to use tax breaks and state subsidies to provide an impetus for U.S. companies to relocate production and procurement operations out of China.

In other developments, we could also expect the UN to impose sanctions on China for not being transparent to the global community about the outbreak a lot earlier which could have prevented the situation from elevating to uncontrollable heights. 

This year, post-pandemic we also await the upcoming Presidential Elections in the US which could impact the entire world, politically. The administration led by Joe Biden would expand U.S. cooperation with its allies in pursuing its China policy goals but would not take a softer stance toward Beijing over security, human rights, and trade issues, a former official said in his press statement.

A new cold war could emerge between the US and China, much larger than the US and Soviet Union one which could have detrimental impacts on the global economy.

The Democratic allies of the US, especially Asian countries and European countries have the choice of pressurizing Beijing to act in a responsible manner towards the global community to prevent us from entering a new era of war and hostilities and to avoid strategy conflict between the superpowers.