Mohammed Al-Minshawi-Washington

Although US officials have not used the term "cold war" to describe the relationship between Washington and Beijing, studies and comments have been filled with discussions about a "cold war" between the two countries since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic.

US President Donald Trump reiterates his accusations to China of what he considers a role in the spread of the emerging corona virus around the world.

Washington's cold war with China differs from that it fought with the Soviet Union. The American-Soviet confrontation was mainly political, ideological, and military, seeking to gain influence around the world in a zero-sum battle.

While the American-Chinese competition is more complicated, as they collect more than 700 billion dollars in commercial transactions annually, American universities host more than 350,000 Chinese students, and before the Corona pandemic, tourism enjoyed in the two countries millions of Americans and Chinese, and the two countries adopt non-contradictory economic systems and policies, All this reduces the occurrence of a comprehensive confrontation between them.

Yesterday, President Trump called for China to be included in the upcoming arms control talks with Russia, and the White House said in a statement that "President Trump reaffirmed that the United States is committed to effective arms control that includes not only Russia but China as well, and looks forward to talks To avoid a costly arms race. "

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A few days ago, the annual report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute revealed that China continues to increase its defense budget, and it has become second only to the United States, with $ 261 billion in spending in 2019, while the US defense budget is $ 732 billion.

On these and other points, Al-Jazeera Net held a dialogue with Yinan Hai, an American professor of Chinese descent at the University of The Hague, Pennsylvania, who specializes in Sino-American affairs: 

Is China and the United States headed for a new Cold War?
We are looking for broad changes in the nature of US and China relations, and they will be the worst since 1979. Yes, history does not repeat itself, but there are patterns and interactions that can be repeated. China and America are not heading toward a cold war similar to the one that brought together the Soviet Union in the United States, in terms of their leadership of two camps and two opposing coalitions, and they adopted economic models ideologically opposed. The two camps fought a global ideological war, and they knew comprehensive strategic competition and economic war as well.

At the same time, there are some similarities in the Sino-American case in terms of the nature of the competitive relationship between them that can be observed in a regional (Southeast Asia) scope, which has implications around the world, especially in the area of ​​public health, technology, or supply chains.

If the current tension between the two countries persists, it will not come as a surprise that the regional cold war will move to the military and strategic aspects, and spread on a global scale. 

How can the United States respond to the way China has dealt with the emerging corona virus?
The United States should respond to China in several ways that are not related to each other, and the priority should be to encourage coordination in the biological and medical fields so that doctors and scientists from both sides cooperate in an effort to stop the virus.

The United States must also do the same with the rest of the countries that are experiencing an outbreak of the virus, in order to save the lives of citizens and improve the conditions of the global economy, and in this way the United States can show and improve its leadership in the world most of the time it needs it.

Cooperation and coordination should take place through the World Health Organization or other international institutions, but attempts to isolate and attack China at this time will be counter-productive. China, as we know, is the source of the virus, so Chinese scientists have better information than others about the virus, and thinking about punishing China will be a punishment for the American people and the rest of the world as well, not for China alone. 

At the same time, the United States can issue a general principles statement at the present time, expressing its deep concern about the outbreak of the virus from China and its attempt to cover up it, while leaving this issue until the control of the virus.

Washington is harming its global reputation if it shows more interest in the dispute with China than it is to save the lives of its citizens.

Washington should also coordinate with its allies and partners in any attempt to pressure China and the World Health Organization to acknowledge their responsibility for the spread of the virus. The superpowers of the unipolar world must support their steps and actions with international legitimacy, and now, with the relative decline of American power in a multipolar world, Washington needs more and more to work with international partners than ever before. 

Do you agree with the way President Trump deals with China? And why?
President Trump has talked a lot about China since he came to power, and much of what he said is contradictory to each other.

Trump does not have a vision of dealing with China as that of President Clinton or Obama, and Trump's approach has proven ineffective with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump could not formulate or adopt a comprehensive strategy - during his tenure of more than three years - of which China is an essential part. Trump's policies toward China are managed in a piecemeal fashion, sometimes in contradictory and hesitant ways.

Trump has many tactics that he uses with China, but he does not have a strategy to deal with it, and as a result, the way he talks about China is unpredictable, and in many cases it is misleading.

Trump's praise for China may be nothing but a slip of the tongue, and his attack on it may be the result of the moment only, and his threats have no real value, and this is one example of Trump's dilemma in dealing with China.

China first wants to take the US President seriously before they take his words and positions seriously, Trump may need some help and wisdom in this area.