Infi ghting leaves US foreign policy aimless

US President Donald Trump unwillingly signed a bill approving new sanctions against Russia. The bill also targets Iran and North Korea. This means the door to improving US- Russia relations has been closed. Russia has already made it clear that it would cut US diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 people in retaliation, which may be followed by more retaliatory measures.

The sentiment that the “China- US honeymoon is over” is prevailing in the US. According to US media, the Trump administration will announce aggressive trade measures targeting China, especially in areas such as intellectual property rights and market entry.

The US has been entangled in domestic political in- fi ghting. Its foreign strategies are self- contradictory and the core team of the Trump administration seems to disagree with each other on key issues such as the North Korean nuclear issue. As a whole, the US seems fretful, arrogant, aimless and reckless. Not only do its rivals and competitors have deepening concerns toward it, but its allies have also complained about US acts. New research by the Pew Research Center found 35 percent of people surveyed across 38 countries said that US power and infl uence posed a big danger to their countries.

The US elites are narcissistic. They believe Washington should sanction Moscow, and should not let Beijing off , and North Korea and Iran are the next targets. However, the US is not capable of achieving all its goals.

While the US presses China and Russia, Beijing and Moscow treasure their relationship more than ever. Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Trump want to better bilateral ties, but they are always separated by interest groups. With the highest volume of bilateral trade as the basis, China and the US are like a couple in the same bed but with diff erent dreams. In the China- US- Russia triangular relationship, China and Russia can fi nd the most common ground.

As long as China and Russia maintain their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, it will be enough to cope with the challenges from Washington. The US will not fundamentally ameliorate its relations with Beijing or Moscow, but it will not off end the two too much either. The new sanctions bill won’t have much real eff ect and will only perpetuate the deadlock between the US and Russia. A trade war threat to Beijing is only to vent its sentiment and send a warning to Beijing.

The US and Russia are engaged in geopolitical rivalry, and the frictions between China and the US mostly come from trade. Both China and Russia have leverage against the US. As the two become strategically closer, it will have deterrence against the US. China and Russia are not allies, and they need not form an alliance. The current strategic cooperation between Beijing and Moscow is able to balance US hegemonism, and there is plenty of room for the two to elevate cooperation.

In the foreseeable future, ChinaRussia ties will be enhanced. Ups and downs may occur in Sino- US relations, but China will be able to manage it.