US needs to rethink its democracy-versus-authoritarianism view of China rivalry: professor

Li Cheng tells Summer Davos in Dalian that the framing is dangerous to the world – including the United States

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Professor Li Cheng says the US’ framing of its rivalry with China is a threat to others and the United States. Photo: World Economic Forum

Published: 8:00pm, 27 Jun 2024

The US should re-examine its “dangerous” democracy-versus-authoritarianism framing of its rivalry with China because it risks nudging Beijing closer to Moscow and Pyongyang, according to a leading Chinese academic.

Li Cheng, professor of political science at the University of Hong Kong’s Centre on Contemporary China and the World, told a forum in the northeastern city of Dalian on Thursday that the framing was “too simplistic, too narrow-minded, too ideological”.

“But most importantly, [it’s] too dangerous. Not only dangerous to the world … but even dangerous to the United States,” Li told a panel discussion analysing US-China relations at the “Summer Davos”.

Li cited former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski’s position that the most dangerous scenario for the United States would be a coalition of China, Russia and Iran over a shared need to deal with American pressure.

“If that’s the case, the United States will face three enemies – from the east, from the west, from the south. Is that an era or scenario we want to enter? Unfortunately, we’re moving in that direction,” he said.

China has called for a “peaceful coexistence” with the US, a move Li said would resonate well with other countries. “My view is the US needs to review the narrative to serve its best interests,” he said.