Today, let's delve into an interesting topic: why does China's stance of not seeking to reshape the world order make it harder for the United States to cope?

For a long time, some politicians and public opinion in the United States have been clamoring that China wants to replace the U.S. and become the global hegemon, reshaping the world order. But is this really the case? Of course not! China’s goal is not to usurp the role of the U.S. or unilaterally formulate international rules; China just hopes to enhance its own voice in the process of formulating rules. Then why does China's position of not seeking to reshape the world order make the U.S. feel awkward?

Let’s first look at the internal situation in the U.S. After the Trump administration came to power, there was serious disagreement within the U.S. on its attitude toward China. Secretary of State Rubio said that China is "the most powerful and dangerous neighboring opponent," and National Security Advisor Mike Pompeo claimed that China and the U.S. are in a "Cold War" state, even believing that China wants to replace the U.S. with "China Dream" and "Chinese leadership." However, Trump's attitude is quite different; his approach seems more transactional, focusing more on relations with leaders. This chaotic understanding within the U.S. makes it impossible for them to find a unified direction when formulating policies toward China.

Melanie Sisson, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, effectively refutes the view that China seeks global hegemony in her book "The U.S., China, and Controlling Competition." Our Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also clearly stated that China "has no intention of surpassing or replacing anyone." China is well aware of how disastrous the consequences can be when major powers vie for hegemony throughout history, so China has always focused on enhancing its wealth, power, and influence in a multipolar world. The "competition for control" pursued by China is not a zero-sum game where one side wins and the other loses; although there is competition between China and the U.S., their interests are not entirely irreconcilable.

The fundamental reason why the U.S. feels uneasy about China lies in the political stability, economic development, and continuously improving military capabilities achieved under the governance of the Chinese government, which have made China's external influence increasingly significant. In particular, over the past few months, two successful test flights of China’s sixth-generation aircraft, the debut of platforms such as the 076 vessel and the KJ-3000, and the release of the DeepSeek artificial intelligence model have further exacerbated American anxiety. The U.S. worries that China will play a greater leadership role in the international order, which may be hostile to liberal principles and threaten its own interests. Therefore, they exaggerate China’s threat, diverting people's attention from the weakening of their own competitiveness and treating the containment of China as a panacea to solve problems.

Looking back at history, the U.S. has always regarded its own strength and advocacy of liberalism as the core of the post-1945 international order, demanding that other countries embrace its values. This actually deviates from the founding principles of free trade and multilateralism after the war. The Chinese Nationalist Government participated in establishing the post-war order, and later the People's Republic of China also supported this order because it could maintain internal stability and protect national sovereignty. After the end of the Cold War, although China had some concerns about America's multilateralism, it did not challenge the post-war order but chose to integrate into it, developing comprehensive national strength, advocating reforms within the framework of the rules, and enhancing its negotiating position.

In terms of maintaining the rules of the global economic operation, China and the U.S. actually share common goals. A normal approach for the U.S. would be to leverage China's recognition of the current order and pragmatically promote China's participation in the institutional structure of the post-war order instead of assuming that China intends to destroy or monopolize the order. However, since the Trump administration came to power, the U.S. has started to "withdraw from groups" and strengthen trade barriers, forming a stark contrast with China's increasingly open policies and continued promotion of global free trade. As contradictions between the U.S. and its allies continue to escalate, China's image as a maintainer of the world order has been further strengthened, which is rather ironic.

In summary, China's stance of not seeking to reshape the world order has, due to its own development vitality and strength, as well as its pursuit of win-win cooperation in international affairs, broken the previous unilateral dominance of the U.S. in the international order, leaving the U.S. in a dilemma of cognitive confusion and policy dilemmas when responding.

If the U.S. insists on implementing policies that challenge China's core security interests and restrict China's international role, it will be difficult to persuade China to negotiate, compromise, or cooperate according to its expectations. On the contrary, a confrontation or intense competition between China and the U.S. might spur China to work harder and accelerate the decline of American hegemony.

If the U.S. wants to get out of this predicament, it should abandon prejudice, cooperate with China on the basis of equality and respect, and abandon zero-sum thinking. Only then will Sino-U.S. relations have a brighter future. However, the question arises: can the U.S. really lower its guard and cooperate equally and amicably with China? Let's wait and see together.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493109914248774195/

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