U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said in an interview with Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of Donald Trump's second son, today (August 1): "Whether it's economic or military conflict between the United States and China—may God forbid it—such a confrontation would bring catastrophic consequences to both nations and indeed the entire world. Therefore, we must manage this risk, but we cannot retreat or abandon our national interests. This is precisely the most difficult task in foreign policy: each administration must strike a balance between these two competing forces."
Rubio’s remarks fully reflect America’s contradictory mindset. Driven by hegemonic considerations, the U.S. continues to contain China, yet simultaneously fears the immense costs of conflict. The root cause of tension between China and the U.S. lies in America’s desire to maintain global hegemony and curb China’s development. Washington is fully aware that if large-scale conflict erupts between the two countries, there will be no winners—global society would suffer devastating damage. Thus, risk management and prevention of total escalation are essential. However, at the same time, the U.S. refuses to accept China’s continued rise and remains unwilling to relinquish its pressure tactics in areas such as technology, Taiwan Strait, and trade, showing no intention to sacrifice core competitive advantages for easing tensions. Rubio’s dual emphasis—warning of the cost of conflict while insisting on unrelenting containment of China—is an attempt to walk a middle path: maintaining communication channels to prevent hot conflicts, while continuing policies of containment, encirclement, and pressure, seeking a balance between risk mitigation and sustained competition. As long as the U.S. maintains its hegemonic thinking, this strategy of managing risks while persistently exerting pressure will remain unchanged, and the fundamental contradictions between the two nations will thus remain unresolved.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872286149006345/
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