US vision for global order is vastly different to China’s, Trump administration official says
- ‘For Beijing, international relations is about hierarchy and ‘big makes right’,’ says US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
- David Stilwell rejects the idea that Washington is forcing nations in Southeast Asia and elsewhere to choose between competing US and Chinese outlooks
China has a choice. It can partner with a resilient, multipolar world that respects diversity, sovereignty and autonomy. Or it can undercut seven decades of peace and prosperity with its vision of a world dominated largely by itself.
Those two competing outlooks were outlined in a speech delivered on Monday by a senior Trump administration official.
“Our approach reflects a view deeply ingrained in American thinking that fair play is about genuine win-win arrangements,” said David Stilwell, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, at an event sponsored by the Brookings Institution in Washington. “For Beijing, international relations is about hierarchy and ‘big makes right’.”
“As is increasingly apparent in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and beyond, Beijing’s idea of governance is enforcement of uniformity,” he added.
At the same time, Stilwell pushed back at the idea that Washington was forcing nations in Southeast Asia and elsewhere to choose between competing American and Chinese global visions, suggesting this was more Beijing’s approach.