There were smiles and photo ops galore when President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met recently for a highly anticipated summit in a suburb of San Francisco. Given that the meeting took place after a long period of trouble between the world’s two largest economies, the results were described as generally positive, although Mr Biden labeled his Chinese counterpart a dictator shortly after they both met. It’s the fake pass that the US leader is prone to. Mr. Xi assured his hosts that the planet was “big enough” for both countries, while Mr. Biden said it was “important” to understand each other. Another step towards reducing tensions is the reopening of military communication lines between Washington and Beijing.
No matter how positive the summit was, there should be no doubt that it heralded the end of difficult times for Sino-American relations. According to the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy last year, China is considered America’s most “major strategic rival.” There’s not much to suggest that this characterization has evolved. The summit was successful in maintaining open lines of communication between the two superpowers in an unstable world. However, there is a risk of a painful collision if both capitals do not handle the relationship and Great Power rivalry responsibly, especially regarding the Taiwan issue. Although the United States still claims to support the One China policy, many in the political arena and organizations in the United States are determined to move Taiwan closer to independence. This is the “red line” Beijing is most concerned about, according to Mr. Xi during the summit. In fact, experts believe that if the Taiwan issue is not handled carefully, it could become a catalyst for an open conflict between the United States and China, as well as war in Ukraine and the Middle East. China should resist this temptation and find a peaceful solution to the Taiwan dispute, while the United States should stick to its One China policy and stop upsetting Beijing. But countries caught in the middle, such as Pakistan (and when these geopolitical “elephants” collide), must avoid the consequences. Promoting neutrality is simple, but the state must take into account all geopolitical vagaries to protect Pakistan’s interests and ensure that the nation is resilient to the shockwaves of external conflict.
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news source (dailythepatriot.com)
