Opinion | America’s sick obsession with China will ruin itself and the world

Earlier this month, during their first phone conversation since the San Francisco summit last November, US President Joe Biden discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping their collaboration on pressing issues such as narcotics control, climate change and artificial intelligence (AI), even as he defended the imposition of hi-tech sanctions on China.

Last month, the House of Representatives voted through a bill that could force a TikTok ban in the US, a move that saw bipartisan support and reflects the widespread apprehension towards China. President Biden has pledged to sign the bill into law once it is approved by the Senate.

Clearly, despite the San Francisco summit, US-China ties have yet to thaw. Marked by profound mistrust, the relationship continues to be defined by competition, rather than cooperation.

Meanwhile, the crises in Ukraine and Gaza persist with no foreseeable resolution. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reached out to President Xi about a proposed peace summit, while leaders in the Arab world are open to Beijing’s help to broker a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. China has declared its commitment to leverage its influence to facilitate a resolution to both crises.

Unfortunately, Washington still sees China as a threat to its global dominance. During his call, Biden cautioned Xi against escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Separately, several Republicans have called for America’s withdrawal from the Ukraine war to reallocate military assets towards countering purported rising threats from China.