US-China relations: Beijing should contain ‘extreme nationalism’, ex-diplomat warns

Name: Are Xi Jinping’s China and Donald Trump’s US destined for armed conflict?
Uploaded: 2020-09-29T22:00:20.000Z
Duration: 4 min 12 s
Description: Are Xi Jinping’s China and Donald Trump’s US destined for armed conflict?

Yuan Nansheng, vice-president of a foreign ministry think tank, also says it’s a ‘misjudgment’ to believe America’s superpower status is on the wane

He calls for a more cautious approach in an article on changes he says will reset bilateral ties when the coronavirus pandemic is over

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China and the United States are at loggerheads over everything from the pandemic to trade, security and human rights. Photo: Reuters

Kinling Lo

Published: 6:00am, 30 Sep 2020Updated: 6:00am, 30 Sep 2020

Beijing should contain the rise of populism and “extreme nationalism” in China, a former senior diplomat has warned, and he said it was wrong to think the United States is in decline.

Yuan Nansheng, vice-president of foreign ministry think tank the China Institute of International Studies, made the remarks in an article outlining what he said were key changes that would reset bilateral relations when the coronavirus pandemic is over.

“In the post-pandemic era, US policy towards China could shift focus to containment and towards a ‘new Cold War’,” he wrote in the article posted on the WeChat account of Peking University’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies on Tuesday.

“Although it is unlikely that China and the US will go down the road of decoupling, this possibility cannot be eliminated and should be given careful attention,” said Yuan, whose last diplomatic posting was as China’s consul general in San Francisco.

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Are Xi Jinping’s China and Donald Trump’s US destined for armed conflict?

While the foreign ministry has repeatedly pointed out the support Beijing has provided to other countries during the pandemic and accused Washington of being unable to handle the outbreak, Yuan called for a more measured approach.