By Zachary Keck
Back in April I bemoaned the United States’ obsession with trying to convince China it isn’t seeking to contain it. Not only does Beijing not believe this nor will it ever, but Washington’s assurances that it won’t contain China are useless until it first defines what China and its own regional objectives are.
For example, I have little doubt that the U.S. will not try to contain China if Beijing aspires to be America’s junior partner in upholding the current U.S.-led regional order. However, if China’s objective is to administer the state of California, then of course the U.S. is going to try to contain it. Without some frame of reference, the U.S.’ assurances about containment are just rhetorical devices being used to avoid having the kind of serious strategic discussions that could prevent a U.S.-China conflict.
Truth be told, China is guilty of the same thing. Whereas the U.S. assures China it is not trying to contain it, Beijing endlessly assures everyone that it seeks to rise (and develop) peacefully.
I have no doubt that this is true. There is little evidence that Chinese leaders are sadistic individuals who enjoy violence for violence’s sake. Thus, so long as they are able to achieve “victory without bloodshed” in pursuing all their objectives, we should not expect Beijing’s rise to lead to any sort of armed conflict.
Read the full story at The Diplomat