US MUST ‘LEARN FROM HISTORY’

Former US ambassador to China James Sasser believes his country should create more space for China.

“I think the United States needs to learn from history,” he said.

The conflict between Germany on one side, and Britain and France on another during World War I nearly a century ago was due to the fact that the “British wouldn’t make room for Germany’s rising power, and the French did not want to acknowledge (Germany’s) rising power,” Sasser said.

“But that doesn’t necessarily have to happen, and I do not believe there will be a conflict between China and the United States anytime in the foreseeable future,” he said, adding that “foreseeable future” means the next 30 to 40 years.

He said the US and many other countries realize that China is now a rising power. “It’s taking its rightful place in the world,” the former US senator said.

Sasser said that until the 1840s, China “was one of the leading countries in the world and had the largest economy of any nation”.

“China is simply coming back now,” said Sasser, who also serves as vice-chairman of the National Committee on US-China Relations.

Sasser believes the two nations need to work hard to make sure there are no misunderstandings and recognize that both sides have a legitimate interest in certain areas in the world, such as safeguarding their own security, coastlines and waters.

While acknowledging a lack of trust between the two countries, Sasser said there is more trust now than when he went to China as ambassador in February 1996. He retired in mid-1999.

“Certainly there is going to be competition because as China continues to rise economically, there is going to be competition for markets and competition for raw materials. That doesn’t mean it needs to lead to conflict,” he said.