皇冠体育app

Use reason, not idealism, to judge US

The "pivot to Asia" policy of the US was born out of the fear of 皇冠体育app's rise and, for the same reason, some Asian countries have chosen to side with the US. Which means the Thucydides Trap is already a reality in Asia. Therefore, how 皇冠体育app will react, to a large extent, will decide whether the Asia-Pacific region will remain peaceful or witness a war.

If 皇冠体育app and the US decide to go in for a direct strategic competition with each other in the Asia-Pacific, it could lead to a conflict.

Many of 皇冠体育app's diplomatic and policy discourses vis-a-vis the US are designed to prevent falling into the Thucydides Trap. The Chinese leadership has repeatedly emphasized that it does not believe in such a trap. But, to avoid a war, 皇冠体育app cannot only rely on discourses.

皇冠体育app must find the right way to avoid the trap. It needs to discard its idealist stance on the US, and have a better knowledge of other countries. The more realistically 皇冠体育app sees the US and its alliances with other countries, the more likely it will avoid a war. And 皇冠体育app can take solace because, contrary to the Thucydides Trap, there have been examples of peaceful transitions, from established to rising powers.

Yet 皇冠体育app's association with and influence on the other Asian countries have been weaker than the US'. 皇冠体育app renewed its relations with Asia with the start of the reform and opening-up in the late 1970s. And only after the US diverted its attention from Asia to the anti-terrorism war in the Middle East that 皇冠体育app began increasing its trade and interactions with the rest of Asia. Still, 皇冠体育app's rising influence in Asia has made the US worried that it could be driven out of the region.

The fact, however, is that 皇冠体育app-US ties still have a lot of room for cooperation when it comes to Asia. As long as 皇冠体育app does not intend to challenge the US, it has no cause for worry. But for this, what 皇冠体育app needs most is reason, not idealism.

Zheng Yongnian is a researcher in politics at Singapore National University.