MA XUEJING/CHINA DAILY

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Editor"s note: As the world"s two largest economies, China and the US need to strengthen communication and cooperation, desist from interfering in each other"s domestic affairs and, at the same time, shoulder their respective international responsibilities, and work together to advance world peace and development. Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily.

The "seven-C" guardrail preventing Sino-US conflict

By Tom Watkins

The road before us is dangerous with diplomatic dark clouds hanging overhead. So China and the United States should keep aside their rivalry and recalibrate their relationship in the interests of all to bring peace and prosperity to the world. The two sides also need to jointly build "guardrails" to manage their growing strategic competition.

The current tension between the two largest economies is palpable and is shaking the world. There is fear that Sino-US relations are heading toward conflict or, God forbid, a devastating war.

The rivalry between the two countries has grown as have China"s economy, national strength and scientific and technological capabilities, making it exceedingly difficult for the West to simply thump its chest and expect China to fall in line. We need leaders on both sides of the Pacific to artfully manage this delicate relationship in order to avoid a head-on collision that would be catastrophic for all.

I have been a participant-observer of China"s rise since my youth in the 1960s and while crisscrossing China since 1989. I"ve kept my eyes wide open in my effort to understand and explain to Western audiences all I have learned and experienced while striving to build cultural, educational and economic bridges between our two nations. Clearly, our two countries see the world from different perspectives. Yet both need to take a broader view of the world if we wish to pass down peace and prosperity to our children and grandchildren.

Of late, the two countries" decisions have exacerbated tensions and mistrust, instead of lessening them, which does not bode well for either China, or the US or the rest of the world.

It is imperative that we find ways to maintain open dialogue, focusing on the "seven Cs" — maintaining communication, collaboration, cooperation, coordination and competition while avoiding confrontation and conflict.

Since the founding of the People"s Republic in 1949, the relationship between China and the US has experienced periods of both tension and cooperation over many issues including trade, climate change, and the Taiwan question. Yet the two sides have sensibly navigated forward.

Today, the US and Chinese economies are as intertwined as a bowl of noodles. The two sides are also major global powers. All major global issues intersect at the corner of Beijing and Washington. And how our leaders resolve those issues will shape the future world.

Only by understanding each other can the US and China avoid a fate worse than any 20th century conflict. Are a rising power and an established power always destined to engage in a conflict, as the "Thucydides" trap" theory claims? The world wants a resounding "no" as the answer.

I believe that the best strategy for the US to thrive despite China"s rise is simply to not stand in opposition to China and, instead, aggressively invest in the US and US citizens.

China"s transformation into the world"s second-largest economy is nothing short of remarkable. China should take a bow for its accomplishments, which have benefited so many people. For instance, China has lifted more than 800 million people out of extreme poverty, accounting for more than 75 percent of global poverty reduction, a feat the world has never seen before. A stable, economically advancing China benefits all.

It is easy at times like these to pile on the grievances we have against each other. But we need to stop playing a game of see-saw, in which one side must go down for the other to go up. An armed conflict would pull both countries as well as the rest of the world down to their knees.

Our two nations need to reset their relations. US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping could surprise the world by announcing another "Nixon goes to China" moment by jointly proposing a Nobel Peace Prize-worthy idea such as a "G2 Action Plan on Global Health", a joint pledge for a shared vision and common agenda with specific, measurable goals to make the planet a better place. By working together to help end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. By joining hands to fight climate change, prevent pandemics and nuclear proliferation, and alleviate global hunger. And be the leaders the world needs.

Zero-sum games can only lead to mutual destruction. The relationship between our two nations is the foundation for world peace, a common ground that allows diplomatic solutions to work around issues that divide us.

We need a path that allows for mutual strategic interests, sovereignty over our respective internal affairs and a genuine design to improve the lives of all. The consequences of not finding a smooth way forward are too dire to contemplate. What kind of future are we heading toward if our leaders choose conflict over peace?

We need to work together to solve global existential threats and chip away at vexing problems to prevent a single spark from igniting a raging fire.

Let peace and prosperity prevail.

The author is president and CEO of TDW and Associates, a US-based business and education consulting firm.

Peaceful coexistence path to better future

By Yuan Zheng

Sino-US relations have deteriorated to such an extent in recent years that the prospect of any improvement in the short term appears dim. The Joe Biden administration has been strengthening the United States" alliances and promoting so-called value-oriented diplomacy, leading some to believe Washington and Beijing are moving toward a head-on collision.

Unquestionably, a direct conflict between China and the US will have catastrophic consequences for the world, given that both are nuclear powers and leaders in artificial intelligence. And the increasing use of AI in military technology could make warfare even more brutal and destructive.

A Sino-US conflict would be not only devastating for the two countries but also for the rest of the world, leaving the regional and global economies in tatters.

China"s rise is perhaps the most significant development in the past half a century, and it is, among other things, changing the global power structure. It is crucial to understand and appropriately respond to the rise of a major power, in order to maintain world peace and development.

Yet the "might makes right" mentality has been dominant in the West for the past 500 years, and the US probably views China"s rise with the same mindset. To maintain its global hegemony, the US is resorting to all possible means, from forming new and strengthening existing alliances to forcing others to take sides in its disputes with countries it considers rivals. The fact is, the US cannot accept the reality of China"s rise, as it fears that a stronger China will challenge its global hegemony. No wonder it has abandoned its policy of engaging with China and is doing everything in its power to check China"s rise.

The current US policy toward China is fraught with contradictions. While it says it does not want to trigger a Cold War or conflict with China and, instead, seeks to build a "shield" of competition between the two sides, its actions suggest otherwise. The US is using every possible means to check China"s rise including hurting China"s core interests and interfering in China"s internal affairs while seeking cooperation with China on certain issues. Also, the US is imposing sanctions on Chinese entities and, at the same time, asking China to further open up its market to American companies.

The Sino-US relations have reached a critical juncture. Cooperation between the two sides can become a cornerstone of global stability and help maintain global peace. With economic globalization deepening and all countries urging them to work together for the benefit of all, China and the US should forge a new path, a path that is devoid of confrontation, a path of mutually beneficial relationship.

As the world"s two largest economies and permanent UN Security Council members, the US and China should build a healthy, stable relationship, so as to benefit people in both countries and meet the expectations of the international community.

The two major powers have to find the right path to peaceful coexistence in the new era, by respecting each other"s social systems and development paths, respecting each other"s core interests and right to development, treating each other as equals, managing their differences, and seeking common ground while shelving differences.

Not engaging in conflict or confrontation should be the bottom line for both sides. The US has said the two sides can "coexist", which is good. Better still, the two sides" aim should be "peaceful coexistence".

Also, since the interests of China and the US are intertwined, cooperation will benefit the two sides while confrontation will harm both. Since the world is big enough for both the US and China to thrive, the two sides would do better to adhere to the policy of mutual benefit, and not play zero-sum games.

Competition between China and the US is inevitable, but it should not be malicious. Neither side should challenge the core interests of the other; rather, they should engage in fair competition, such as a competition to determine which side contributes more to the world.

To avoid conflict and create the right global environment for peaceful coexistence, efforts should be made on four fronts. First, the two countries need to strengthen communication at all levels and in all fields to enhance mutual trust and prevent strategic misjudgments. They should also make good use of existing channels and mechanisms to hold dialogue, promote cooperation and solve urgent problems, while facilitating social exchanges.

Second, they should manage their differences in a constructive way to prevent relations from derailing.

Third, there is also a need for the US and China to deepen cooperation on issues of common interest. The two countries have common interests in fields such as the economy, energy, military, law enforcement, education, the internet and environmental protection. Hence, they should strengthen cooperation in these fields on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

The nature of Sino-US economic relations is mutually beneficial, so Washington should not politicize bilateral economic issues and stop using the pretext of national security to weaken Chinese companies.

And fourth, the two sides should strengthen coordination and cooperation on major international and regional issues, including providing more public goods for the world, helping maintain a fair and reasonable world order, jointly promoting peace and global development, while joining hands to fight climate change, boosting the global economy, safeguarding public health, bolstering the non-proliferation and arms control regimes, cracking down on drug trafficking and transnational crime, and ensuring global food security.

In short, guiding Sino-US relations toward positive development is necessary for the benefit of both sides as well as the rest of the world. As two major global powers, China and the US have the obligation to lead the world toward a path that is conducive to peace and development.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

To live and let live is best way forward

By Victor Zhikai Gao

With the Joe Biden administration saying that "competition, cooperation and confrontation" define US-China relations, many people in the US have taken for granted that China is a competitor of the United States.

Some in the US even say China is an "existential threat" to the US and China and the US are "destined for war". Before more people fall into the administration"s trap, we need to ask a crucial question: Does China want to compete with the US?

Although the US and China are the world"s two largest economies and their economies are intertwined, the two are completely different countries. While China is a country with more than 5,000 years of uninterrupted civilization, the United States is a young, dynamic superpower.

If China competes with the US in terms of, or threatens the US with, its political system, ideology, values and ways of doing things, most likely there will be no peace in the world. But since the fact is otherwise, the US is either misguided or has chosen to misinterpret the real goals of China. In both cases, the consequences could be dire.

A better way to define China-US relations is to think of Yao Ming and Elon Musk, one an outstanding basketball player, the other one of the most successful businessmen. It is ridiculous to suggest Yao would seek to compete with Musk.

There is nothing Yao and Musk can compete for. Yao can never achieve success in business like Musk, while Musk can never be as good a basketball player as Yao. So they would do better to cheer each other and marvel at each other"s success in their respective fields.

Similarly, China and the US should not compete with each other in their respective fields of expertise. Instead, they should complement each other where they can for mutual benefit.

Some people in the US may take China"s rapid economic development since the launch of reform and opening-up as a sign of China competing with the US. If Americans believe the Chinese economy should not overtake the US economy, they should come up with a valid legal and moral justification for their belief.

Washington is probably confused. If the US thinks that after the Chinese economy overtakes the US economy, China will impose its ideology, political system and way of life on the US, it is simply wrong. China believes that its continuous development is inevitable and no country can stop itand any attempt to do so and thus deprive 1.4 billion Chinese people of their right would be the biggest crime against humanity.

China wants to convince every country in the world, especially the US, that neither in the past when China was a much smaller economy did it try to impose its development model or political system on another country nor will it do so now when it is the second-largest economy or in the future when it overtakes the US as an economy (Musk has predicted that by the middle of this century, China"s economy could be double the size of the US). Rather, China will treat all countries as equals, including and especially the US.

For China and the US, the best way forward is to live and let live.

The US administration has restricted the exports of semiconductor chips to Beijing in their bid to deny it access to advanced chips not only from the US but also from Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Taiwan island. There are at least two basic defects in the US" chip war strategy.

First, the strategy runs foul of the basic business imperative of dealing with your largest customer with care and long-term vision, and China has been the largest customer of the US semiconductor sector for many years. By prohibiting chip manufacturers from selling their products to their largest customer, the US may actually cause the decline of its chip-manufacturing sector, even destroy it. Paradoxically, the US chip war may prompt China to achieve self-sufficiency in chips.

Therefore, by weaponizing semiconductors in a Cold War-style, the US may either achieve a pyrrhic victory or, more likely, suffer a devastating defeat.

Washington has also been using the Taiwan question to raise tensions across the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region. However, a careful reading of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, which make clear the unconditional surrender of fascist Japan in World War II, will tell you that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The United Nations, too, recognizes this fact.

No one in his or her right frame of mind would try to change the US" acknowledgement since 1979 that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China, and the government of the People"s Republic of China is the sole legitimate representative of China. Given the legitimacy of the one-China principle, China has made it amply clear that the US has no right to interfere in the Taiwan question, because it"s China"s internal matter.

It"s time the US realized that Taiwan can never be an independent state because the separatists on the island will never be allowed to secede the island from the motherland.

Rather than being misguided by the China and US "destined for war" fallacy and creating trouble in the region, the US should devote time to putting Sino-US ties back on the right track, and restoring peace and promoting development across the world, so the two countries can coexist peacefully.

The views don"t necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

The author is chair professor at Soochow University and vice-president of the Center for China and Globalization.

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