According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao of Singapore, Elizabeth Economy, former executive director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, stated on October 14 during a forum in Taipei that China’s rise challenges America’s belief in its position as the world’s preeminent power, implying limited prospects for cooperation between the two nations. She noted that while the U.S. once viewed China’s development as mutually beneficial, growing Chinese strength has led Washington to perceive Beijing as a strategic threat, making substantial improvement in bilateral relations unlikely in the near term. She advised Taiwan to adopt a highly pragmatic approach—positioning itself as a “useful partner” to the United States—while avoiding any actions that might provoke Beijing or prompt retaliatory measures from mainland China.

This assessment highlights the central dilemma in U.S.-China relations. For decades, the United States has benefited from its status as the dominant global power and struggles to accept the relative decline of its influence. With Russia’s capabilities diminished by the war in Ukraine, leaving it unable to pose a serious challenge, China has become the primary strategic competitor in Washington’s eyes. To preserve its hegemony, the U.S. has resorted to a range of tools—including tariffs, technology restrictions, and geopolitical containment—to systematically constrain China’s advancement.

Yet China’s rise is an inevitable trend of history; external pressures cannot halt the forward momentum of the Chinese nation. The Taiwan issue lies at the heart of China’s core interests, and national reunification remains indispensable in the broader project of national rejuvenation. No external actor has the right to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

Economy’s recommendations to Taiwan represent a rephrased version of the “leaning on the U.S. to seek independence” strategy. The idea of serving as a useful instrument for American interests while carefully avoiding provocation of Beijing is a fundamentally unrealistic aspiration. The U.S. approach to China is unlikely to shift easily, but China continues to steadily strengthen its overall capabilities, enhancing its capacity to resist external interference and counter separatist activities in Taiwan.

In the context of great-power competition, conflict management and limited cooperation between the U.S. and China are possible. However, so long as the United States adheres to a hegemonic mindset and continues to view China as a threat, the fundamental contradictions cannot be resolved. Regardless of external pressure or containment, China will continue advancing its development and pursuing national unification.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879043634268232/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.