If a US-China conflict occurs, it will be a 'disaster'

"President Biden told Chinese President Xi Jinping last month that we share a deep sense of responsibility to ensure that competition between our two countries does not escalate into conflict. We take this responsibility with the utmost seriousness," said Mr Blinken, who is visiting Jakarta. His remarks were reported by the US State Department.

US Secretary of State. Photo: Reuters

The head of the US diplomatic agency stressed that in the opposite case, the consequences of such a conflict "would be catastrophic for all of us."

The US has recently accused China of increasing military activity around Taiwan and threatening to annex Taiwan by force. Last week, the White House said the US would do everything in its power to prevent the island from being invaded. Beijing criticized Washington for supporting those advocating Taiwanese independence. The US officially recognizes the “one China” policy, but maintains extensive relations with Taiwan.

US-China relations are deteriorating

Relations between China and the United States have deteriorated sharply under President Donald Trump, as the United States initiated a trade war, began to put excessive pressure on Chinese technology companies, including Huawei and ZTE, and then imposed sanctions over the human rights situation in Tibet and Xinjiang, as well as mainland China's increased control over Hong Kong, including the passage of the National Security Law. The United States also continued to accuse China of failing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and further escalated tensions with frequent contact with Taiwan.

Beijing has always expressed opposition to all of Washington's actions, denied all accusations and called for relations between the two countries to be put back on track. Since President Biden took office, there have been no signs of warming relations between the two countries.