LettersAn assertive China and a shaky US alliance in Asia bring the world closer to Cold War 2.0

Name: Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions
Uploaded: 2020-07-21T16:20:10.000Z
Duration: 2 min 32 s
Description: Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions

While the US has a de facto alliance with Asean, Japan and South Korea, there are disputes between nations in the region and economic ties to China

These pose a challenge to putting up a united front. Meanwhile, China is extending its economic and military reach

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US President Donald Trump (centre) is surprised by the traditional Asean handshake at the Asean summit in Manila, Philippines, in 2017. Photo: Reuters

Letters

Published: 12:20am, 22 Jul 2020Updated: 2:10am, 22 Jul 2020

Despite China’s attempt to cloak its assertiveness as a non-interventionist “peaceful rise”, its economic growth, expanding military and far-reaching foreign policies have signified the demise of US unipolarity and brought international relations into a whole new era. Aside from the trade war that intensified tensions between China and the United States, accusations on the origin of the coronavirus may push the rivalry to the brink of a new cold war.

Chinese economic and military assertiveness is a threat to the existing balance of power. On the economic front, China has built a web of Sino-centric institutions parallel to Western organisations.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, in providing financial help to developing countries, mimics the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The Belt and Road Initiative has also pressured debtor countries into supporting Chinese geostrategic interests.

On the military front, Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to build a strong navy in addition to the land-based army. A blue-water navy plan was rolled out to expand China’s sphere of influence to the Indo-Pacific region to counter US presence. Professor Robert Ross of Boston University has argued that China’s naval nationalism is fuelled by the desire to regain lost territories across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.

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Washington’s hardened position on Beijing’s claims in South China Sea heightens US-China tensions

Given Chinese assertiveness and the geographical difficulty of the US invading China, can the US effectively counter this rising power? The US has formed a de facto alliance with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Japan and South Korea, but the effectiveness of this alliance as a counterbalance is questionable.