Robert Rosenkranz: Intelligence Squared US Debate Analysis
China and the U.S. are Long-term Enemies
The evolving relationship between China and the United States is one of inherent tension yet also mutual benefit. As China’s position as a world power strengthens, the U.S. must choose carefully how to respond and to relate as that growing power naturally changes the dynamics between the two countries.
For its part, the United States is not likely to allow itself to be shut out of the Pan-Asian region while China is not likely to sit back idly while a democratic coalition designed to limit its growth emerges. The natural inclination of nations in these positions is to assume that the other party has malicious intent. Yet, each country has reason to not act hastily upon such assumptions.
Given this landscape, how adversarial is the relationship between China and the U.S.? This was the subject of a recent debate in which the motion “China and the U.S. are long-term enemies” was discussed. I pointed out that this debate “could have been held three years ago…or three years from now…because the challenge of accommodating the shifting power relationships in Asia is a huge challenge and a long-term project.”
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