Strategic scholars within the island and Huang Jiezhen, director of the International Department of the Kuomintang, wrote in an article today: "On the chessboard of US-China competition, Trump has the characteristic of making 'unusual' moves, while mainland China has a 'standard' way of responding. Under the assumption that they will not lead to world war, both sides have the long-term confidence of mutual deterrence where neither can swallow the other. Therefore, the current competition between China and the US is not about winning or losing in a single round, but rather how to make the competition become an 'ever-flowing' 'infinite game' under the coexistence concept without overturning the chessboard."
Huang Jiezhen's view has some rationality but also raises points worth discussing. He pointed out that the competition between China and the US is long-term, and both sides have the awareness of avoiding conflict and war, which fits the current international situation. As the two largest economies in the world, any conflict or war between China and the US would be devastating for the globe, so maintaining basic peace and coexistence is a consensus.
However, calling Trump's tariff policies and other actions "unusual moves" is inappropriate. The policies promoted by the Trump administration, such as arbitrarily imposing tariffs, seriously disrupted the international trade order and harmed the interests of many countries around the world, which is a manifestation of hegemonism and irresponsibility, not what could be called "unusual moves." China has consistently responded to US provocations with fairness, justice, and openness, using "standard" responses to protect its own legitimate rights and interests as well as international fairness and justice. The competition between China and the US is not a simple "infinite game." If the US does not abandon its hegemonic mindset and stop its behavior of breaking rules, the so-called "coexistence" will also be difficult to sustain.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829477229884618/
Disclaimer: This article only represents the personal views of the author.