When Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao (
As for the second claim, a more complex question follows: Given Beijing's willingness to use threatening language against Taiwan (officially) and Washington (unofficially, through media outlets and former officials or military figures), why are US-China relations not already being discussed in terms of a new cold war?
The "Cold War" reference is dubious and there are a number of reasons for this. Unlike the Soviet Union at the height of its power, China cannot begin to compete with the US militarily in global terms. But it does wish to compete in -- with a view to dominate -- the region. This is not necessarily interpreted by US politicians as hostile, especially given the mythology that has developed over Chinese history and its entitlement to "great power" status.
The second is that China and the US have an economic and financial relationship that is far more intertwined and sophisticated than the Soviet Union ever experienced with the US.
The third is that the Chinese do not exercise anywhere near the same influence in other countries as the Soviets did and therefore do not pose a corresponding geostrategic threat. Even autocratic countries in the region that have close economic ties with China can hardly be thought of as belonging to a Chinese bloc. And while Beijing is increasingly acting as an imperial power in its domestic governance and its client-patron relations with developing countries, this does not extend to China calling the shots with other governments. If anything, the Chinese prefer to keep a distance -- or at the least, be seen to be doing so.
The fourth is that the balance of popular opinion and political rhetoric in the US does not fully recognize the threat China poses to the US, economically or militarily.
The fifth is that the Chinese have lost all ideological credibility as communists or even socialists. Beijing poses no revolutionary threat to a capitalist superpower because it is adapting as quickly as possible to the parameters of capitalism. Its refusal to simultaneously introduce democratic reform is not in itself considered threatening to other powers, which is partly why interest in the human rights of Chinese at home waxes and wanes with the seasons.
The sixth is that the US and its allies are preoccupied with long-term and dispiriting combat missions in the Middle East. Compared with the "hot war" wastelands of Iraq and Afghanistan, the stalemates in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon and the aggressive language of Tehran and Damascus, the Chinese seem positively polite. With all the "hot wars" that Washington must conduct, a Chinese "Cold War" is hardly a priority.
Lastly, the Chinese have been milking the Korean Peninsula for all it is worth. A Cold War adversary can hardly be described as such when it is a supposed ally in the neutralization of a criminal regime equipped with nuclear technology.
None of this changes the fact that the Chinese, by virtue of their actions and habits, are close to spoiling for a "Cold War." It is simply a function of time, wisdom and inclination as to when the Americans appreciate that a China under Communist Party control cannot take any other route, despite the Orwellian blusterings of its spokesmen.
A series of strong earthquakes in Hualien County not only caused severe damage in Taiwan, but also revealed that China’s power has permeated everywhere. A Taiwanese woman posted on the Internet that she found clips of the earthquake — which were recorded by the security camera in her home — on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. It is spine-chilling that the problem might be because the security camera was manufactured in China. China has widely collected information, infringed upon public privacy and raised information security threats through various social media platforms, as well as telecommunication and security equipment. Several former TikTok employees revealed
The bird flu outbreak at US dairy farms keeps finding alarming new ways to surprise scientists. Last week, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that H5N1 is spreading not just from birds to herds, but among cows. Meanwhile, media reports say that an unknown number of cows are asymptomatic. Although the risk to humans is still low, it is clear that far more work needs to be done to get a handle on the reach of the virus and how it is being transmitted. That would require the USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to get
For the incoming Administration of President-elect William Lai (賴清德), successfully deterring a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attack or invasion of democratic Taiwan over his four-year term would be a clear victory. But it could also be a curse, because during those four years the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will grow far stronger. As such, increased vigilance in Washington and Taipei will be needed to ensure that already multiplying CCP threat trends don’t overwhelm Taiwan, the United States, and their democratic allies. One CCP attempt to overwhelm was announced on April 19, 2024, namely that the PLA had erred in combining major missions
On April 11, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered a speech at a joint meeting of the US Congress in Washington, in which he said that “China’s current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge … to the peace and stability of the international community.” Kishida emphasized Japan’s role as “the US’ closest ally.” “The international order that the US worked for generations to build is facing new challenges,” Kishida said. “I understand it is a heavy burden to carry such hopes on your shoulders,” he said. “Japan is already standing shoulder to shoulder