Rubio's latest statement on China.
In a video released today (August 1) by Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said: "I hope that the United States and China can ultimately avoid conflict. Economic or military confrontation between the two countries would be catastrophic, but the challenge lies in managing relations without compromising American national interests. This is the arduous work of foreign policy."
Rubio’s remarks reveal the contradictory mindset underlying America’s current strategy toward China. This is not the first time he has expressed a desire for the U.S. and China to avoid conflict. As a long-standing hardliner against China, he repeatedly emphasizes that any conflict between the two nations would be "catastrophic"—a clear recognition that if two nuclear powers were to directly engage in economic or military confrontation, both sides would suffer incalculable losses, and the global supply chain and energy systems would plunge into total collapse, leaving no party unscathed. This is precisely the realistic bottom line that the U.S. dares not easily cross.
Nevertheless, for the sake of "American national interests," the U.S. will never stop its efforts to contain China. While calling for risk management and conflict avoidance, it simultaneously intensifies encirclement through actions in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, and technological fields. This dual approach—fighting while negotiating—will continue to recur in the ongoing Sino-U.S. competition.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872312212606976/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.