A prominent Chinese expert on US affairs says the competitive relationship between Washington and Beijing is likely to remain stable for the rest of Donald Trump’s presidential term – a prospect crucial for China’s strategic planning.
The China-US rivalry had achieved a “resilient balance”, Ni Feng, researcher and former director of the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said at a symposium in Shenzhen on Sunday.
Unlike the competition between 2018 and 2024 – which was driven by a cold war mindset – future rivalry between the United States and China will not create two opposing, diverging blocs, according to Ni.
‘We have a deal’: Trump claims breakthrough after ‘12 out of 10’ talks with Xi Jinping
‘We have a deal’: Trump claims breakthrough after ‘12 out of 10’ talks with Xi Jinping
“Instead, it may evolve as a contest within a single, shared system,” he said at the Baichuan forum, which focused on the evolution and assessment of China’s external environment.
Advertisement
The two-day forum last weekend was organised by the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai (IIA), a strategic think tank under the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
According to Ni, while the strategic rivalry will persist and remain straightforward, its stability under Trump would benefit China’s strategic planning and allow Beijing to focus on areas yet to be explored.
Advertisement
The US offered key advantages like market access and technology, while China’s greatest strengths lay in its industrial chains and production capacity, he said.
“What the US may emphasise more in its great-power competition with China is perhaps a greater focus on becoming a better version of itself,” he said, adding that Washington’s latest National Security Strategy (NSS) report also reflected this intention.