Robert Crohan/Staff Writer
Along with the internal strife the United States is facing, our country is now experiencing international tensions with countries big and small; allies and adversaries. With the Coronavirus originating in China and without clear answers, Sino-American tensions are approaching an all-time high. This is potentially on par with a Cold War.
These tensions are nothing new as China’s economic system and ambitions have always been at odds with America’s, but China’s much mentioned “rise” has been peaceful up until recently. Even the Obama administration seemed to begrudgingly accept the rise. But as the world has its hands full with the pandemic, experts say time is ripe for China to take an aggressive turn infringing on other countries’ boundaries in the Pacific and South Asia. Recently, India and China exchanged fire at their border in the Himalayas over border disputes, killing soldiers on both sides.
The world is on edge.
America is demanding answers from China about the origins of COVID-19, while fighting Chinese espionage and bullying of US allies. China is pushing back hard and threatening further action such as targeting US media and hitting the economies of US allies.
Given how vital this relationship is and given the harsh and illegal actions of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), it is imperative that the US and allies stand up to Beijing and prevent a repressive state from overtaking democratic America as the world’s leading superpower.
This conflict has the potential to define history and change many things, for better or worse.
China is increasingly more involved in the global system. At FIU, we have had the privilege of meeting Chinese exchange students or even traveling to China. The US-China relationship increasingly influences our lives, from what we wear and watch to our politics and job markets.
The current geopolitical realities make a “hot” war unlikely, and no one desires that. Ultimately, if we cannot peacefully counter China, we must follow a Cold War playbook while adjusting it to the 21st century. We are woefully unprepared for this. It will require strengthening everything we use to progress and defend, from the military to our social safety net.
China is increasingly more involved in the global system. At FIU, we have had the privilege of meeting Chinese exchange students or even traveling to China.
Last century, we triumphed over fascism and socialism to provide a good example for the rest of the world. However, our neoliberal economic system has created crises in health care, housing, affordability and racism.
Although China faces similar issues, it has largely kept them out of the public eye via censorship—especially in terms of Xinjiang reeducation camps. Not to mention the incredible growth of the Chinese economy over the past fifty years. We risk making China’s authoritarian model more appealing in this century. We must work to solve our problems at home before we attempt to lead the world again.
America must wake up to its lacking presence in Africa and Latin America, as China has filled its void. China is a key player in Africa, providing infrastructure and other tools for economic growth, leading African states to largely overlook China’s abysmal human rights record. However, Chinese actions here and elsewhere have caused indebtedness and environmental destruction. We cannot desperately butt in and beg with these states to switch sides, but our efforts to strengthen their economies must be genuine. We have the wealth and ability to counter the narrative that the west is staying to the side.
Playing catch-up requires work with our allies.
Under President Trump, America’s European and Asian allies have been underappreciated and left out. Now is not the time to play the blame game with our closest friends: it is vital that we come together under the common cause of countering an aggressive Communist China, and reach out to nations that have been indebted by China’s Belt and Road Initiative, like Laos and Pakistan. We are seeing progress, as a new united front on China includes Australia, Japan, Canada, and others.
After China’s extradition bill to snatch democracy from Hong Kong, the UK opened doors to Hong Kongers, without the hawkish rhetoric that could escalate tensions.
In terms of capability, the 2020s raises the bar from prior decades.
Considering the nuclear and space races of the first Cold War, modern technology shifts the battlefield to cyberspace. China has been accused of espionage with tech firms like Huawei and seeks to possess superior capabilities than the US. We can fight back by improving our technology and cyber defense. The capability to thwart Chinese attempts at hacking and cybertheft is crucial and will help win the hearts and minds of our tech-savvy youth.
Recent history demonstrates America’s abandonment of strategy in favor of strength alone by sending our troops overseas without much of a plan of action. Indeed, America lost its wars in Afghanistan and Vietnam. Recent reports chillingly warn of a Chinese advantage in the Pacific, so we must keep our military strong and employ officials with a strong knowledge and appreciation of Asian politics and geography. If China can take the disputed South China Sea islands without consequence, what might that suggest to the world regarding its security apparatus?
Finally, we must restore passion in what we’re fighting for: freedom. What should alarm us is the growing nationalism of China’s youth. How can we compete if college students here have lost trust in their country’s institutions? It is easy to forget the importance of the US and allies in upholding freedom around the world given our problems at home and other foreign policy blunders, but the world cannot afford to be led by an authoritarian regime that sends its own people to concentration camps.
As I outlined before, the free world must embrace and live by it’s supposed superior values.
We triumphed over the Soviet Union by banding together and speeding up our developments and outreach to the world. But China is a much stronger adversary than the Soviet Union ever was. It is sad that things have come to this, as we have long assumed that China would rise peacefully. China is one of history’s greatest civilizations, possessing unique cultures, inventive prowess, and a diligent, proud populace.
The world is changing, with cybersecurity, terrorism, migration, climate change, and diseases posing bigger challenges than states themselves, so we must cooperate as best we can. However, we have international laws for a reason, and if China insists on violating them, it can expect American action. We value input from others, but know that freedom works best.
Most everyone would highly prefer a calmer, more subtle projection of American power over a full-out Cold War, but if one is absolutely necessary, we have a lot of work to do.
Featured image by edward stojakovic on Flickr.
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