NEW COLD WAR

• Recently, President Joe Biden of the United States and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the first virtual bilateral meeting. The meeting ended with the clear divergences in the positions taken by the two sides.
• US-China confrontation is on multiple fronts including ideological and cultural hegemonic rivalry, trade wars which has often been called the New Cold War

Important points:

• US raised concerns about the human rights violation practices in Xinjiang (Uighur Muslims), Tibet, and Hong Kong
• US’ trade deficit with China was around USD 375 billion for 2017. Due to this, former US President Donald Trump imposed import duties on Chinese exports to the US.
• The US president held that the need is to protect American workers and industries from China’s unfair trade and economic practices.
• China’s assertiveness in South China Sea claiming the majority of sea as its territory, has prompted the US to reiterate the importance of freedom of navigation and safe overflight to the region’s prosperity.
• China and Taiwan separated amid civil war in 1949 and China considers Taiwan part of its territory to be taken control of by force if necessary. However, Taiwan’s leaders say that Taiwan is a sovereign state.
• The US remains committed to the ‘One China’ policy However, it “strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.

Way Forward

• It is the responsibility of leaders of China and the US to ensure that the competition between the countries does not veer into conflict, whether intended or unintended.
• India should realise its rising global power and rather than getting enmeshed in US-China rivalry, it should prioritize its own interests and growth by maintaining peaceful mutual relationships.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT