China-US relations contribute to global stability and prosperity
(Baonghean.vn) - In an interview with Xinhua news agency, Professor Odd Arne Westad, who studies US-Asia relations at Harvard University (USA), commented that China and the US have contributed to the stability and prosperity of the region and the world over the past four decades.
 |
| US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: AP |
According to Professor Westad, Sino-US relations since 1979 have played an extremely important role in the openness and freedom of the global trading system, creating opportunities for the development and dissemination of technology worldwide, as well as creating stability for international affairs.
“Despite its ups and downs, the overall relationship between the United States and China has been stable, contributing greatly to the smoother course of international affairs during the late Cold War and after the end of the Cold War,” said the Harvard professor. Professor Westad said that the overall strong bilateral relationship between Washington and Beijing has also contributed greatly to the region.
“Despite difficulties on the Korean Peninsula and elsewhere, East Asia as a whole remains a stable and prosperous region, and Sino-US cooperation is crucial to this,” Mr. Westad said.
According to Professor Westad, comparing the competition between Washington and Beijing to a “new Cold War” is historically flawed and terminologically lazy.
According to Mr. Westad, the competition between the two countries in the fields of trade, investment and technology is completely different in scope and scale from the global competition between Washington and Moscow and its proxy during the Cold War. Professor Westad emphasized that war happens because everyone talks about it, and although this may be a solution, both the US and China clearly understand the costs and catastrophic consequences of a potential conflict between the two sides.
“Great powers compete with each other, and that’s what we learn from history, but what kind of competition it is, and where we can cooperate, that’s what matters most,” Mr. Westad said. “The big picture is that there is a lot of potential for the United States and China to cooperate on a number of important issues, and engagement will benefit both sides.”
Professor Westad concluded that the United States and China came closer from a great distance in 1979, not because they agreed on everything but because they discussed issues and cooperated practically in a pragmatic approach.