PNN – The new Cold War is between China and the United States; a war that escalates to a multilateral confrontation in which each side seeks to weaken the other. China aims to hold a leading position in the world.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, citing Al Jazeera, Deng Xiaoping invited his people to achieve a renaissance by following this strategy: “Observe calmly, face challenges with composure, hide your brilliance like a sword in a sheath, work in silence, and wait for the opportunity.”
Al Jazeera noted that during the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the technical agreements reached will undoubtedly face the high walls of politics and complex problems, so it is unrealistic to expect a resolution of all disputes between the two countries. The only achievable goal is an agreement to prevent the worsening of economic relations in the short term, while strategic disagreements remain unresolved.
China is more than just a competitor for the United States
The notion of competition between China and the U.S. is no longer adequate, especially since the United States classifies its potential adversaries at three levels (competitor, challenge, and threat) and currently sees China as its main threat.
Al Jazeera writes that what is happening between China and the U.S. is a race for supremacy. For Beijing, postponing a potential confrontation is a significant achievement, as time is on its side, and all economic, political, and military indicators confirm this. Therefore, the longer China can delay a decisive confrontation, the lower the potential losses.
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Escalating economic tensions between China and the United States.
The Cold War between the U.S. and China
Al Jazeera considers this “Cold War” between the U.S. and China to be more dangerous and deeper than the last millennium’s Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. At that time, the Soviet economy did not exceed 40% of the U.S. economy, while China’s economy is approaching parity with the U.S., or according to many estimates, surpassing it when considering yuan exchange rates and purchasing power.
During the Cold War, many countries remained outside the conflict, but today all countries will be affected due to the increased volume of international economic interdependence and the global impact of these tensions.
Differences in governance models between the U.S. and China
The new Cold War is a multilateral struggle in which each side seeks to weaken the other. China seeks global leadership but does not intend to replicate the U.S. model of hegemony. U.S. global leadership was based on the “principle of power,” reinforced by realism in international relations, while China aims to establish a “dependency theory” approach based on cooperation and convergence among nations to achieve a win-win scenario for all parties.
Self-made problems have no solution
The Sinicization of international trade forced Washington to live in a commercial world shaped by China. On the other hand, the U.S. believes it is confronting an enemy it created. Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were the first to bring U.S. factories to China to separate it from the Soviet Union.
Bill Clinton supported China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, during which many U.S. and Western factories were relocated to China, a process that continued under George W. Bush and Obama.
Thirty percent of global industries are “Chinese”
China’s economy in 1989 did not exceed $347 billion, while in 2024 it surpassed $20 trillion—over a 57-fold increase in three decades. A large part of China’s economy is export-oriented, and Beijing accounts for 30% of the world’s industrial value added, meaning 30% of global industries come from China—a substantial figure. Chinese exports are growing at a rate three times faster than global trade.
China’s military growth outpaces the world
China has pursued the fastest armament development not only in the present era but throughout history, focusing on naval capabilities. The U.S. currently has 380 ships, while China possesses 300. The U.S. also accuses China of economic espionage domestically and abroad, particularly in countries neighboring the U.S. (Canada and Mexico), and of recruiting some senior politicians in these nations.
Washington also accuses China of launching cyberattacks against U.S. institutions and claims China seeks control over U.S. and European factories in China valued at trillions of dollars, making any military war against China nearly impossible.
China controls 80% of rare elements
More than 80% of 17 rare elements—7 of which are crucial for advanced industries from mobile phones to electric vehicles and drones—are under China’s control, and China has banned the export of 7 of them to the U.S.
China’s alignment with India and Russia poses a threat to the U.S.
Al Jazeera notes strong evidence of a new axis forming between Moscow, Beijing, and New Delhi. A few weeks before the recent trilateral meeting in Tianjin, India’s Prime Minister visited Beijing on his first trip after seven years of frozen relations and border disputes. China strengthened trade cooperation with India, facilitated visas, and resumed flights between the countries after years of suspension.
Russian oil shipments to India have not only continued despite U.S. sanctions but have increased unprecedentedly, prompting John Bolton to say that the greatest threat to the U.S. in the 21st century is not only China but the trilateral axis of Beijing, Moscow, and New Delhi.
Donald Trump also warned at the United Nations about China and India financing Russia in the Ukraine war, cautioning against the new China-Russia-India coalition. These factors partly explain why Trump turned his focus to Asia, hoping to find solutions to his country’s unresolved challenges in confronting China.