Cold War not inevitable; US and Chinese leaders should not give up

A SERIOUS debate on the future of Sino-American relationship is underway in Washington. On one side of the argument are the "determinists" - policymakers, lawmakers and pundits who insist that the long and costly confrontation between the two global powers is inevitable.

This group seems to have gained the upper hand during the first two years of the presidency of Donald Trump who has embraced the protectionist, China-bashing agenda of his economic nationalist aides, triggering a series of disputes over trade and investment between the two countries. Joining these trade warriors at the White House have been the security hawks in the Pentagon and the intelligence agencies who regard China as the main global military threat to US interests. They assert that Americans should be prepared for the coming clashes with the Chinese over Taiwan, and the territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The pressure exerted by these groups has helped produce a growing anti-China consensus in Washington that enjoys bipartisan support on Capitol Hill as well as among Corporate America and the labour unions. That is weighing in favour of what seemed to have become a conventional wisdom: Americans need to recognise that a Cold War with China is unavoidable.