Dangerous distrust between US and China
When Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, endangering global trade and energy supplies, it seemed that a swift return to normalcy would have been in the interests not only of the countries that rushed to Ukraine’s support but also of China, as its growth and people’s welfare, too, depend on the stability of the global system of economic and political government.
The same applies in the case of the Houthi militia’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea: The uninterrupted and cheap transportation of goods between Europe and Asia via the Suez Canal does not benefit only Americans and Europeans, but the Chinese, too. The fact that China chose to actively support Russia in Ukraine, and to watch from a distance as others try to safeguard the transportation of its products off the Yemeni coast, suggests that Beijing’s distrust of Washington trumps all other concerns. This choice seems to be based less on opportunism (gaining influence with countries opposed to US policy) and more on fear of American intentions.
The fact that China chose to watch from a distance as others try to safeguard the transportation of its products off the Yemeni coast, suggests that Beijing’s distrust of Washington trumps all other concerns
Two unsigned opinion pieces published on Sunday in the English-language Global Times newspaper, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, express this position, condemning the United States and NATO for their policy in Ukraine and the Middle East. “NATO is pushing the Russia-Ukraine conflict toward a ‘world war,’” is the title of the first. “Why does the US keep creating wars while saying ‘not seeking’ them?” the newspaper asked in the second, its editorial. In the first piece, the paper noted that during his recent visit to the United States, Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, repeatedly referred to the Chinese “challenge.” “This is a clear preparation of public opinion to expand the Russian-Ukraine conflict into a world war,” it claimed. In its editorial, the newspaper condemned the US attacks on Iranian proxies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in recent days (without mentioning the death and injury of American troops which prompted this). “To maintain its hegemony, the US is still using the simple, brutal means of economic sanctions and military strikes,” it wrote. “After almost every military action,” it continued, “the US emphasizes that it is not seeking ‘a wider war’; yet it is unwilling to take the initiative to restrain its own behavior and adjust its Middle East policy. As a result, the more the US says it is not pursuing a conflict, the more it is plunged into one.”
Mutual distrust has not reached a dangerous level yet. But it is hindering both the United States and China from cooperating in today’s crises so that the world may avoid a worse outcome.
