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Opinion | Asean wants no part in US-China rivalry or an unjust war over Taiwan
- Southeast Asia sees China as a challenge but not an existential threat like the US does. And war over Taiwan would be misguided, unjust and catastrophic
- US efforts to contain China risk embroiling the world in war. Asean and other like-minded democracies must continue to pursue peace
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Why you can trust SCMP
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Asean supports a free world but it is not taking sides in the US-China rivalry because it could lead to an unjust and catastrophic war, misguidedly waged in the name of liberal democracy.
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The US policy of “strategic ambiguity” has for decades facilitated development on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and Beijing is unlikely to seek reunification by force, unless it is provoked by Taipei’s moves towards independence.
But, from Washington’s perspective, the relative stability of the past few decades has disproportionately benefited China, eroding America’s global dominance and even possibly posing a threat to US sovereignty. So China, the thinking goes, has to be contained before it’s too late.
While some US Republicans have expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to have no sympathisers in Washington. As shown by the recent “spy balloon” incident, a feverish anti-China phobia is gripping the United States.
The groupthink on China has led to a reckless one-upmanship between the Republicans and Democrats to out-hawk each other on China. Thus, the campaign to contain China is pushing their already tense rivalry into ever more dangerous territory.
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With US General Mike Minihan warning of a possible military conflict with China by 2025, talk of war is becoming more prevalent. The groundwork is being laid to prepare the American public for war with China.
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