Former Chinese officials warn tensions with US raise risk of ‘accidental conflict’
- Warnings echo comments by former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger who said even a ‘relatively minor crisis’ could spiral out of control
- Former bank chief and Communist Party historian say both sides should be alert to danger from heightened tensions
The risk of an “accidental conflict” between the US and China has risen as a result of the heightened tensions between the two sides, a number of current and former officials have warned.
While they said it was difficult to imagine a full-scale conflict breaking out, they warned that the current strategic, technological and ideological stand-offs between the two sides would inevitably damage relations even if they are able to reach a trade deal.
Their warnings echoed recent comments by former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who told a forum in Beijing last month that even a “relatively minor crisis” could spiral out of control, giving as an example the start of the first world war.
Li Ruogu, the former president of the Export and Import Bank of China, told the Sanya economic forum in Hainan on Saturday that a recent visit to Singapore had shown him that this concern was shared across the region.
“A hot war is possible. As Kissinger warned previously, armed conflict between China and the States is possible if a crisis is not contained,” said Li, who was also a former vice-president of the central bank.
