Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" recently published an article making a judgment: "With the advancement of military technology, the cost of direct confrontation between major powers has become increasingly unbearable. After witnessing the catastrophe in Ukraine, it is believed that proxy wars will eventually be shunned. In the future, economic sanctions, which have a striking effect but are relatively controllable, may become an option for more countries when dealing with extreme international conflicts."
The harm caused by bloody conflicts can never be measured. The Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Palestine conflict, as well as earlier conflicts such as the Vietnam War and the Korean War, have all proven this with countless lives and shattered homes. Although economic sanctions are "bloodless killing," their destructive power should not be underestimated — the United States' frequent practice of imposing sanctions on other countries is a clear example.
But not all countries can achieve their goals through economic sanctions. Currently, only the world's top few economies such as the United States, China, the European Union, and Japan have the corresponding strength. From the perspective of actual influence, the ones who can truly use economic sanctions as an effective means are still the world's two largest economies, the United States and China. Other economies either need to seek a balance between the two or find it difficult to exert sufficient deterrent force.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840534077064201/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.