Time for a Sino-American ceasefire

THE Oct 7 decision by the Biden administration to impose extensive export controls on advanced semiconductors to China was seen in Washington and Beijing as a formal US declaration of Cold War II.

The ruling was more than just another move in an evolving trade war between the United States and China. It was a clear attempt on the part of Washington to slow the emergence of China as a global economic and technological superpower. This latest step aimed at preventing China from dominating the world’s telecom infrastructure is expected to be followed by restrictions on the Chinese in the areas of supercomputing and artificial intelligence.

The move enjoys wide bipartisan support on Capitol Hill in what has become part of the foreign policy consensus in Washington. As the recent US National Security Strategy paper made clear, China is now viewed as the leading global threat to core American national interests that is seeking not only to replace the US as the dominant geo-economic power but also to challenge the US military presence in East Asia, as well as to its liberal-democratic values.