2024-04-24 20:45:05
China does not see the Thucydides trap as an inevitable part of its relationship with the United States. However, in order to avoid entering it, Washington should try to work with Beijing, Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng said during a discussion with Prof. Graham Allison, organized by Harvard University, broadcast China Radio.
“Now that we have all realized the extreme danger of falling into Thucydides’ trap, why should we throw ourselves headlong into it? From the beginning, China has not seen this trap as inevitable and is ready, on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, to peacefully coexistence and win-win cooperation, to work with the US side to promote the stable and sustainable development of our countries and relations,” Ambassador Xie Feng pointed out.
The diplomat said that “the Chinese side has shown sincerity in cooperating on issues of concern to the US.” However, dialogue and cooperation must be reciprocal and based on mutual respect, and one cannot focus on one’s own interests. We hope that the US side will take serious action to implement the agreements between our leaders on issues of concern to the Chinese side,” he added.
Noting that there is indeed competition between China and the United States, the ambassador said that “the Chinese people are not afraid of competition, but the competition must be fair.” “This should be like a competition for excellence on a competition field, not like fighting each other in a wrestling ring. However, what the American side means is not competition, but bullying,” Xie Feng stressed, giving an example the US blocking China’s access to certain advanced technologies and accusations of overproduction in certain industries.
In the diplomat’s words, “it would be self-delusion to suppress and surround China for the sake of competition on the one hand, and to try to manage competition and avoid direct conflict on the other.” “Our relationships should not be defined simply by competition. If we allow competition to dominate Sino-US relations, it will only lead to strategic risks and will not emerge as a winner,” Xie Feng added.
Prof. Graham Allison is the author of the acclaimed book Doomed to War: Can America and China Avoid Thucydides’ Trap? Since its publication in 2018, it has become a must-read for anyone committed to or interested in from studying US-China relations.