Warning to China and US: tread carefully to avoid collision course
Rivalry and trade spats between the economic giants could deal further blow to globalisation and have broader impact, say experts at SCMP China Conference
Beijing and Washington need to tread carefully to avoid dangerous confrontations in an era of change and uncertainty amid mounting tensions over trade and structural competition between the two powers.
That was the conclusion at the annual China Conference hosted by the South China Morning Post on Thursday, where policymakers, government advisers, business leaders and academics expressed concerns over the looming rivalry between the world’s top two economies, which they said would deal a further blow to globalisation and have broad repercussions.
While the United States continues to withdraw from its global leadership position under President Donald Trump amid rising protectionism and anti-globalisation sentiment, Beijing looks poised to take a greater role in shaping the international geopolitical and economic landscape.
“A key issue for 2018 is whether we can avoid international conflicts and confrontation, and the relationship between China and the US will largely decide if the world can move past the current globalisation interlude,” said Zhang Yansheng, former secretary general of the Academic Committee under China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
