US-China decoupling: does clash of ideologies raise too many non-negotiables?

Live with us peacefully, China’s envoy Cui Tiankai has challenged Washington – but some argue coexistence is expected to be on Beijing’s terms

American opposition to China on ideological grounds makes its position equally entrenched

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US-China relations are at their lowest point in decades. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 1:08pm, 16 Aug 2020Updated: 12:00am, 17 Aug 2020

Ambassador Cui Tiankai is China’s point man in the United States in what is undoubtedly the hot seat as the two countries face off in an ideological clash that may well reshape and define the 21st century from the 100 years that preceded.

The world’s two biggest economies are still doing business with each other, but on nearly every other front, from political systems to human rights, territorial boundaries and technology development, they are in an increasingly vocal conflict.

Cui, 67, who has been in his post since 2013 and has a postgraduate degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in the US, took the debate to a webinar organised by the Aspen Institute think tank in Washington on August 4.

He asked the audience: “Is the United States ready to live with another country with a different history, different culture, maybe different system, but with no intention to compete for global dominance with the United States?”

Cui Tiankai is China’s longest-serving ambassador to the US. Photo: AFP

The longest-serving Chinese ambassador to the US and fluent English speaker then asked: “Are you ready to live with us in peace?”

Perhaps predictably, Cui’s question received a mixed response from academics in both countries who track the ups and downs of US-China relations.

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