• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Opinion
  • Publicize Your Survey Here
  • Media Releases
  • About
  • Contact

Opinion.org

opinion matters

China, US not in ‘cold war’, but cooperative rivalry

January 14, 2019 By Opinion.org Leave a Comment

Despite the opposition that appears now in China-U.S. relations, cooperation is far more important, underscored prominent U.S. political scientist Dr. Joseph S. Nye during an exclusive interview with Wang Xiaohui, editor-in-chief of China.org.cn, on Jan. 10. Ties between the two countries underwent tremendous challenges in 2018, noted Nye. At the close of China-U.S. vice-ministerial level talks on economic and trade issues, the prospects for a swift settlement still remain unclear. Some today are looking at China-U.S. relations through a Cold War lens, even labeling the two sides as “strategic adversaries.”

Nye, the University Distinguished Service Professor at Harvard University, stressed the cooperative nature of China-U.S. relations. He suggested that rather than focusing on the negative aspects of the two countries’ current relationship, people should think cooperatively, as transnational challenges are impossible to resolve without cooperation.

In the face of climate change, for example, “No way can the U.S. solve that problem without working with China. No way can China solve that problem without working with the U.S.,” said Nye, noting the same is true when it comes to financial stability, dealing with pandemics, and other issues. “So as we think about this, yes there will be tension, but there has to be cooperation.”

Nye contrasted today’s China-U.S. situation with then Soviet Union-U.S. relations during the Cold War era. In the latter case, he explained, there was almost no trade and no social relations, while today with China, “We have obviously massive trade. And we have 370,000 Chinese students in the U.S., and millions of tourists going in both directions. This is not like the Cold War. And we should not use the language of cold war. I’ve called it a cooperative rivalry.”

China’s poverty alleviation achievements “good for all of humanity”

Nye, perhaps best known as the inventor of the concepts of “soft power” and “smart power,” spoke highly of China’s achievements in the alleviation of poverty. Smart power refers to the ability to combine the power of attraction with the power of coercion and economic strength.

He noted that China has been following a smart power strategy since the 17th CPC National Congress. He further noted that the “economic miracle” of poverty eradication has far-reaching benefits.

“China has much to be proud of. If you look at what has happened in China, of raising hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, that’s good for China. That’s good for all of humanity,” Nye said.

From 1978, when the reform and opening up policy was first adopted, to 2017, China has lifted 740 million people out of poverty, contributing more than 70 percent to global poverty alleviation work in the past 40 years.

Nye advised China to continue its effort in increasing its soft power, “because China’s hard power, economic and military, is growing. But if China can also increase its soft power of attractiveness, it makes that more acceptable to other countries.”

“America First” slogan a blow to American soft power

According to Nye, U.S. President Trump has damaged American soft power with his “America First” rhetoric, as well as his decision to drop out of the Paris climate accord and other international agreements.

Nye mentioned that the Global Ranking of Soft Power 2018, published by London consultancy Portland Communications, showed the United States’ ranking fell from the top position two years ago to fourth today.

“You can see this by public opinion polls. When you have a slogan like ‘America First,’ it makes everybody else feel second. So it may be a good slogan for American domestic opinion. It’s a very bad slogan for international opinion,” Nye said.

In contrast to Trump’s “America First” policy, Nye thinks Chinese President Xi Jinping’s concept of “building a community with a shared future for mankind” reflects a collaborative spirit required in today’s global climate.

“I think President Xi’s slogan is a way of illustrating that type of cooperation. It’s something which is going to be essential for all mankind. I sometimes say that we have to learn not about power over others but power with others. The power with others.”

SOURCE China.org.cn

Share this:

  • Share
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email

Related

Filed Under: Opinion

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Popular Posts

  • U.S.-Mexico Agreement Is First Step Towards Better North American Trade
  • Market Summit 2018
  • Media Release: China overplayed its hand on trade
  • National Safety Council analysis reveals trends that worsen the odds of dying accidentally: For the First Time, We’re More Likely to Die From Accidental Opioid Overdose Than Motor Vehicle Crash
  • Organizations struggle to make progress with their digital transformation investments
  • Largest Federal Union Sounds Alarm on Presidential Overreach
  • Is $2,000 Gold on the Horizon
  • Human Error is More Common Cause of Unplanned Downtime in Manufacturing Than Any Other Sector
  • 47 Universities From 18 Countries Commit to 6 PRINCIPLES and take Concrete action Related to the G7 Agenda Themes
  • Surveys of Israeli, U.S. Jews Show Some Serious Divisions

Email Subscription

Enter your email address to subscribe to this website and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Footer

Media Partners

Technologies | Event Calendar | Technology Events | Exclusive | Market Research | Market Analysis

Technical Support

Domain Market Research | Press Media Release

Copyright © 2015 Opinion.org | A Bill of Rights for Users of the Social Web

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.