US China policy needs readjustment: US media

The United States is embarking on an "unwinnable Sisyphean quest" that will eventually hurt its interests more than prevent China's rise, said an opinion piece published on the National Interest website on July 11.

The article said that US policymakers are launching a "Cold War-like infrastructure of alliances, laws, and institutions to 'shape the strategic environment around China'." But the US' quest to contain China will end up hurting its own interests, it added.

The article made a comparison of Chinese and American economic statecraft. By using economic tools such as free trade and investment, China has won hearts and minds around the world, it said. "Out of 193 members of the United Nations, 130 countries have more trade with China than they have with the United States."

In contrast, the article argued, the US has a yawning gap between what it pronounces and practices. The Biden administration launched the Build Back Better World during the G7 Summit in the United Kingdom in June 2021, but has yet to see any results a year later.

Furthermore, although the US wields "unmatched" strength in the domain of "soft power", its military alliances based on "shock and awe" do not seem to have achieved the desired results, the article noted, as it has failed constantly on the battlefields of Asia. Engaging a quest to contain China would be a "tried, tested, and failed" attempt.

The article also said it would be an arduous task for the United States in an attempt to reverse the Chinese economic growth and technological excellence. In key areas of innovation, science, and technology, China is almost equal or even outperformed the United States, including in artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud computing, robotics, and studies in STEM

China and US have greater common interests on key global issues than differences, it noted. The two countries can cooperate in many areas, including climate change, counterterrorism cooperation, a quest for regional connectivity, and the building up of free trade groupings.

Taking into all these factors into consideration, the article concluded, the US should learn from "past experience and contemporary geopolitical realities" in an effort to formulate a new approach to China that is not based on confrontation and containment.