The US-China Cold War Reprised

January 23, 2022

The Cold War, a pseudo term used to describe the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, has been given rise to a revival of interest again with the rift in the relations between China and the United States in recent times. In light of the current world politics, it has become obvious to consider the United States and China as the top two contenders. These two countries have proved themselves worthy of the contest against one another to achieve the ultimate rank. Though the grounds of this new feud between the two countries may be different than the initial Cold War, the competition has only grown to be more challenging.

What’s new about the U.S-China Cold War?

First, there is an exceptionally narrow threat of an actual war breaking out. Considering the establishment of treaties earmarked to controlling armed conflict between nations, the U.S and China will probably keep away from going to war and remark it as their last resort. Although the U.S and the Soviet Union did not go in for a full-fledged war with each other during the Cold War, they participated in several proxy events with their respective allies that had disastrous consequences.

Second, a rigid economy is the most influential accessory for claiming hegemony in the new Cold War. The primary means of communicating the competition between the U.S and China is through their economies. Due to globalization, both countries have taken advantage of trade exchange to increase their transnational influence. As China begins to dominate markets worldwide, the U.S. becomes more vulnerable to being shot down.

Cold War resemblance between U.S-Soviet Union v/s U.S-China:

Quite similar to the previous Cold War, it is obvious that the U.S and China are working their way up to gather as many allies to their sides. As the war is now more focused on operating around economic grounds, the U.S and China have started to vend with commerce, development projects, arms trade, etc., to lure nations into siding with either of them. Therefore, staying aligned with the principle of the Cold War, the new one is likewise using diplomacy as an agency to channel the ambition of becoming a hegemon.

The U.S-China clash has not only provoked a transnational political divide but has also intimidated the concept of a liberal order. As a result of the differences between the ideologies practiced in the two countries, China preaching communism could gradually diminish democratic values that are a strong attribute of the United States. China’s multiplying presence in numerous nations should be of concern due to its very nature of formulating through debt traps. Consequently, the magnitude of China’s influence becomes necessary to be taken into account.

A mention of India evolves to be even more significant when global persuasion of the U.S-China Cold War is taken into consideration. Having been one of the most prominent allies of the U.S. and being geographically close to China, India has an essential position in the conflict. As far as dealing with China in the South Asian sphere is concerned, the U.S. looks forward to having India on its side.

To outline, the U.S-China contestation has had variations with changing powers in the U.S. In the end, it is up to the U.S foreign policy stance on how it will tackle China, and that is what’s going to shape the nature of the conflict in this new Cold War.

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