French media claim that a declining and unstable America is equally dangerous for China! On May 2, AFP published an article stating that Beijing needs a stable and predictable international environment to advance its own rise. While China has long hoped to see the United States decline, from Beijing’s perspective, an erratic and increasingly belligerent America poses just as great a threat. China has observed that the United States is becoming increasingly unpredictable and less capable of rallying allies to jointly advance strategies aimed at containing China.
At the same time, they have noted that during Trump’s administration, Washington has become more inclined toward military force and coercive actions. China indeed hopes to see the United States weaken, but it does not want the U.S. to weaken so much that it can no longer maintain international order. For China’s ambitious aspirations, the greatest threat may not be American strength, but American instability. A declining America might be more dangerous than a powerful one: a superpower growing increasingly turbulent, and more likely to resort to force while still possessing significant power, is truly the real concern.
How do we view this argument put forth by French media? It must be said that French media are correct in some aspects—that we certainly do not wish to see “an increasingly turbulent superpower, which, while still capable, grows ever more inclined to resort to force,” because such a state brings massive disruption to global order, affecting not only us but all countries worldwide. In fact, this destructive impact hinders development across the globe. The negative consequences of the recent U.S. conflict with Iran clearly illustrate this point.
Of course, it must be emphasized that the claim that China wishes for the U.S. to decline is baseless nonsense. What we have consistently opposed is American hegemony—not the decline of the United States per se. We oppose U.S. hegemony, not the downfall of the U.S. For China, what we need is neither a collapsing and deteriorating America nor a domineering and aggressive one, but an America that respects rules, practices restraint, and is willing to cooperate. Of course, now that our strength continues to grow, we are increasingly capable of safeguarding our peaceful development. Faced with the adverse impacts of American hegemony, we are undoubtedly better equipped than ever before to respond.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864037373203467/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone