Why China and the US can avoid the Thucydides' trap
- By Li Zhihui
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E-mail Beijing Review, October 12, 2015
Wide Pacific
Both China and the United States are important members of the Asia-Pacific region, which boasts the world's fastest economic growth and the greatest potential for development. It is also a region of converging interests for both countries. China and the United States are expected to abide by their shared responsibility to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific.
Economic interdependence
Economic interdependence alone does not guarantee peace, but it is indeed a strong disincentive against war. It is in America's interest for China to be successful, peaceful and prosperous and vice versa.
The two country's $555 billion annual trade volume and $120 billion two-way investment are fundamental to bilateral ties. It is estimated that by 2022, China will have become the world's largest importer and that U.S. exports to China will have surpassed $530 billion, generating more than 3.34 million new jobs.
It is the first time in history that an existing power and a rising power have held so many shared interests.
Global governance
China supports the current international system and is a major player in this system. The more developed China becomes, the more it needs a peaceful and stable international environment. So too does the United States.
As Xi put it, "If China and the United States cooperate well, they can become a bedrock of global stability and a booster of world peace."
China-U.S. cooperation in international and regional affairs is at present expanding, including hot-button issues such as Iranian and Korean nuclear tensions as well as global challenges ranging from climate change and counterterrorism to peacekeeping, poverty reduction and development. Pragmatic cooperation in these areas demonstrates that the two countries can successfully work together to improve global governance.
Leaders' interaction
President Xi and President Barack Obama have agreed to promote the China-U.S. relationship. The two leaders have maintained frequent communication and had in-depth exchanges on major issues. Their interaction could ensure that both sides understand each other's strategic intentions and avoid making mistakes on fundamental questions.
Xi's visit this year was the third such exchange in the past three years. It showed just how much both sides value this relationship and how willing they are to bolster mutually beneficial cooperation.
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