US-China tensions set to worsen as moderates lose out to hardliners, observers say

Chinese groups calling for more ‘fighting spirit’ are getting the upper hand on those who favour calm and cooperation, government adviser says

From Hong Kong to Covid-19, trade to the South China Sea, Beijing and Washington are clashing on a growing number of fronts and in an increasingly aggressive way

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Efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation between the US and China are failing, observers say. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:45pm, 30 May 2020Updated: 11:30pm, 30 May 2020

Moderates who favour dialogue and cooperation as a way to resolve China’s disputes with the United States are losing ground to hardline groups bent on taking the fight to Washington, according to political insiders and observers.

“There are two camps in China,” said a former state official who now serves as a government adviser and asked not to be named.

“One is stressing the combat spirit, the other is trying to relieve tensions. And the former has the upper hand.”

Relations between China and the US are under intense pressure. After Beijing moved to introduce a national security law for Hong Kong, US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington would begin eliminating the special policy exemptions it grants the city, as it no longer considers it autonomous from mainland China.

Beijing’s decision to enact a national security law for Hong Kong was met with anger from the US and other Western countries. Photo: Sam Tsang

The two nations have also clashed over trade, Xinjiang, Taiwan and the South China Sea, with the US passing several acts denouncing Beijing and sanctioning Chinese officials.

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