US’ strategies poison the well for cooperation with China
The National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Nuclear Posture Review unveiled by the United States over the past two months have poisoned the well of the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world.
In them, China is called a challenge to US power, influence and interests, and accused of attempting to erode US security and prosperity. The Pentagon claims that long-term strategic competition with China and Russia are now its principal priorities.
The past two months have seen a torrent of anti-China rhetoric. Many US politicians, pundits and even news outlets have also jumped on the bandwagon in spreading their China threat theory. For instance, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Latin America of the imperial power of China on his trip to the region this week.
On the economic and trade front, the US has adopted discriminative measures against China largely because China is not a US ally.
Such a hostile climate created by the Trump administration is hardly conducive to cooperation between the two countries on important bilateral, regional and global issues. And there are many issues they should be cooperating on, from fighting terrorism and promoting global growth to mitigating climate change and working to prevent nuclear non-proliferation, including the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula that is such a priority for both nations and the world today.
... creating a good working relationship is extremely important for the two large nations and the world.