Source: Valdai Discussion Club    Published: 2021-12-8

In the third decade of the 21st century, China has more control over the pace of development than ever before. Unlike Japan, China cannot be lectured and manipulated by the United States. China is not Iran either, pursuing a completely anti-US strategy. China maintains its power against the United States, and can defend its core interests without being led by a heavy-handed Washington, writes Wang Wen, Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies (RDCY), Deputy Dean of Silk Road School, Renmin University of China, a speaker of the 12th Asian Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

An important example of this transpired during the previous presidential administration. Trump, Pompeo and others constantly provoked China with the most vicious language. Except for the necessary counter-measures and criticisms made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the top decision-making level of China never countered the “Trumpkins” with harsh words. China diplomatically avoided provoking the US more seriously. This prevented China and the US from falling into a new “Cold War” trap.

Of course, the US should not take any chances. If cases similar to the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in 1999 or the collision between Chinese and US military aircraft over the South China Sea in 2001 were to happen again, China could surely encounter a strong counterattack. That would be a disaster for China-US relations, and a tragedy for humanity.

In this regard, the Washington Post reported that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ed Milley, had a phone call with the Chinese military and promised not to launch an attack on China. If this is true, such military rationality and calmness should be appreciated.

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