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New-Type Cold War

Apr 29-2020   



In an exclusive media interview, Prof. Yao Yang, Dean of the NSD, believed that a new type of ideological Cold War is likely to arise between the Western World and China.

 

He identified two main motives of the West to bring about such a new-type Cold War: For one, Western politicians have seized the pandemic to slam China’s slow reaction in the beginning, all for the purpose of diverting attention away from their own failures domestically. For the other, the West wants to escalate the pandemic issue into an attack on China’s system, using China’s strict quarantine measures as proof that it’s not a democratic one. The latter might become the single biggest challenge for China going forward.

 

China can initiate some moves to defuse the ideological Cold War. For starters, it should produce a complete report or White Paper on the Wuhan epidemic by laying out the truths, including missteps in the beginning, and the achievements. In the long run, there’s the need to construct China’s own discourse system to strengthen communication with the outside world. The premises, according to Prof. Yao, could be Chinese traditions, especially Confucianism, which is the main philosophy behind China’s state governance. The aim is not to defeat liberalism, but rather to show that Confucianism is just as good.

 

President Trump has effectively made public opinions much more negative towards China. American media reports and even some China researchers have undergone an about-face. When American politicians mobilized its people to confront China, the American media rarely air their doubts and opposition.

 

China should recognize that it has competitive relations with the US in ideology, geopolitics, and science and technology. Meanwhile, it should seek cooperation in such areas as trade and the international order. With the WTO sabotaged by the US, the second-phase talks between the US and China might produce rules that are likely to become templates for WTO reforms. If so, China will be shaping international rules in some ways.

 

Even if a new-type of Cold War materializes, it will be a far cry from the one between the US and the Soviet Union that allowed for no cooperation. China and the US still have plenty of opportunities for cooperation, including not only trade but also anti-terrorism and assistance to developing countries.

 

Prof. Yao also talked about the prospects of Chinese and world economy, among other topics.

New-Type Cold War

Apr 29-2020   



In an exclusive media interview, Prof. Yao Yang, Dean of the NSD, believed that a new type of ideological Cold War is likely to arise between the Western World and China.

 

He identified two main motives of the West to bring about such a new-type Cold War: For one, Western politicians have seized the pandemic to slam China’s slow reaction in the beginning, all for the purpose of diverting attention away from their own failures domestically. For the other, the West wants to escalate the pandemic issue into an attack on China’s system, using China’s strict quarantine measures as proof that it’s not a democratic one. The latter might become the single biggest challenge for China going forward.

 

China can initiate some moves to defuse the ideological Cold War. For starters, it should produce a complete report or White Paper on the Wuhan epidemic by laying out the truths, including missteps in the beginning, and the achievements. In the long run, there’s the need to construct China’s own discourse system to strengthen communication with the outside world. The premises, according to Prof. Yao, could be Chinese traditions, especially Confucianism, which is the main philosophy behind China’s state governance. The aim is not to defeat liberalism, but rather to show that Confucianism is just as good.

 

President Trump has effectively made public opinions much more negative towards China. American media reports and even some China researchers have undergone an about-face. When American politicians mobilized its people to confront China, the American media rarely air their doubts and opposition.

 

China should recognize that it has competitive relations with the US in ideology, geopolitics, and science and technology. Meanwhile, it should seek cooperation in such areas as trade and the international order. With the WTO sabotaged by the US, the second-phase talks between the US and China might produce rules that are likely to become templates for WTO reforms. If so, China will be shaping international rules in some ways.

 

Even if a new-type of Cold War materializes, it will be a far cry from the one between the US and the Soviet Union that allowed for no cooperation. China and the US still have plenty of opportunities for cooperation, including not only trade but also anti-terrorism and assistance to developing countries.

 

Prof. Yao also talked about the prospects of Chinese and world economy, among other topics.