Now that the Chinese Communist Party’s National Congress is over, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has an opportunity to mold the direction of Beijing’s international perception by shoring up its declining economic prospects without being perceived as weak by party rivals.
However, Beijing would need to scramble to repair the dented image and distrust over its increased bellicosity and intent — regionally and globally.
Washington is aware that its decades-old supportive approach to Beijing is no longer feasible, and that an inevitable reorientation is needed to face Beijing’s runaway rise.
For all the arguments about the US’ decline and diminished power, Washington is confident of its capacity to deter Beijing.
US President Joe Biden went into last week’s G20 meeting with Xi with a strategic counterattack, sugarcoated with a conciliatory message to Beijing. Not with the hope that Beijing would tone down its tactics and approach, but to ensure that Xi and his elites get a direct message of intent by Washington.
The reassuring tone sent to Xi was not a strategic weakness, as some have argued. It was a strong message that played the higher moral card, and reinforced the US’ steadfast values, norms and rules.
This message should reassure allies that the US can be the calm and responsible player, countering China’s narrative. Beijing and Washington are aware of the capacity of the US to deter China’s potential violations of the global order, if need be.
The US has the edge of capacity and can take a more confrontational approach in calling out China’s actions, but Washington instead showed its morality and responsibility. By taking a conciliatory tone, Washington can reap the long-term benefit of taking the moral high ground.
China needs the US more than the US needs it. Washington would need Beijing to continue adhering to the rules-based international order, and to be a responsible major global player. Beijing needs the US to maintain free and safe global trade, and as a technological and economic base for Beijing to achieve its “Chinese dream.”
Biden hoped to lure Beijing into the misconception that the US is weak enough to come in at a seemingly lower position.
If China continues unperturbed, or even acts to intensify tensions, the US would leverage its established card to highlight China’s hypocrisy and true intent — China could no longer be seen as a victim, as its credibility would be turned on itself.
Biden and Xi might downplay the prospects of a new cold war, but the reality on the ground points to one already intensifying.
Collins Chong Yew Keat provides analysis and opinion to international media on contemporary global and regional issues.
Chinese actor Alan Yu (于朦朧) died after allegedly falling from a building in Beijing on Sept. 11. The actor’s mysterious death was tightly censored on Chinese social media, with discussions and doubts about the incident quickly erased. Even Hong Kong artist Daniel Chan’s (陳曉東) post questioning the truth about the case was automatically deleted, sparking concern among overseas Chinese-speaking communities about the dark culture and severe censorship in China’s entertainment industry. Yu had been under house arrest for days, and forced to drink with the rich and powerful before he died, reports said. He lost his life in this vicious
A recent trio of opinion articles in this newspaper reflects the growing anxiety surrounding Washington’s reported request for Taiwan to shift up to 50 percent of its semiconductor production abroad — a process likely to take 10 years, even under the most serious and coordinated effort. Simon H. Tang (湯先鈍) issued a sharp warning (“US trade threatens silicon shield,” Oct. 4, page 8), calling the move a threat to Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” which he argues deters aggression by making Taiwan indispensable. On the same day, Hsiao Hsi-huei (蕭錫惠) (“Responding to US semiconductor policy shift,” Oct. 4, page 8) focused on
In South Korea, the medical cosmetic industry is fiercely competitive and prices are low, attracting beauty enthusiasts from Taiwan. However, basic medical risks are often overlooked. While sharing a meal with friends recently, I heard one mention that his daughter would be going to South Korea for a cosmetic skincare procedure. I felt a twinge of unease at the time, but seeing as it was just a casual conversation among friends, I simply reminded him to prioritize safety. I never thought that, not long after, I would actually encounter a patient in my clinic with a similar situation. She had
George Santayana wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This article will help readers avoid repeating mistakes by examining four examples from the civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces and the Republic of China (ROC) forces that involved two city sieges and two island invasions. The city sieges compared are Changchun (May to October 1948) and Beiping (November 1948 to January 1949, renamed Beijing after its capture), and attempts to invade Kinmen (October 1949) and Hainan (April 1950). Comparing and contrasting these examples, we can learn how Taiwan may prevent a war with
RSS