China and the U.S. Are Moving Toward a Cold War

Beijing is Outraged at Obama’s Two-Faced Policies

In a survey conducted in China, a majority of the participants believe that China and America are on the brink of a serious conflict. A poll from a Beijing newspaper and statements from generals and political scientists all show that anti-American sentiments are growing. This splash has caught Washington by surprise. They did not expect the delivery of weapons to Taiwan and Obama’s appeal to observe human rights to cause such a sharp reaction.

Over half of the Chinese people (more precisely, 55 percent) believe that China and America are heading towards a new cold war. Such is the result of a survey conducted by the state newspaper Global Times. This intensification has occurred only three months after U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to China. At that time, U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman claimed that the relationship between the two powers had not been this good at any time in recent history. And now the State Department is forced to seek an explanation as to why the atmosphere changed so abruptly, and what caused a crescendo of anti-American publications in the Chinese media, writes London’s Sunday Times.

Obama’s decision to sell arms to Taiwan for $6.4 billion functioned as a signal for politicians and scholars. “We must respond on the basis of the ‘eye for an eye’ precept and sell arms to Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela,” declares Liu Mensyun, member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Council. According to him, the Chinese have “nothing to fear – after all, the North Koreans oppose America. Has anything happened to them? No. Iran opposes America. And disaster has not struck them.”

Beijing’s official reaction to the transaction with Taiwan was limited to the suspension of military dialogue with the U.S., as well as the threat to impose sanctions on the companies that are supplying the weapons. But Chinese analysts believe that the government needs to go further. “This time China must punish the U.S. We must cause them pain,” says senior Navy officer Yan Li. And General Lo Yuan said that China should deploy more missiles facing Taiwan.

The Chinese military is calling for an increase in the quality of the armed forces over the next ten years. “And when we are powerful enough for a direct conflict with the U.S., we will be able to challenge them,” says People’s Liberation Army colonel Men Syanin. Even the newspaper China Daily, which usually reflects the views of the moderate portion of the Chinese leadership, is demanding: “When they spit on you, you must strike back.”

What is the explanation for the flood of anti-American statements in China? Is it a temporary propaganda campaign? Or is Beijing actually preparing for a confrontation with the U.S.? We posed these questions to the chief research assistant at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Yakov Berger. “This is not propaganda, the statements of the Chinese military and political scientists — it is the result of serious, balanced analysis of the geopolitical changes in the world, which is what guides Beijing,” answered the expert. After the financial crisis, Chinese analysts came to the conclusion that the balance of forces in the world had changed, and that the U.S. is experiencing a decline. At the same time, Chinese think tanks believe that the number one hegemonic power is not forgoing its own its own interests, and sooner or later it will collide with China, the growing power. It is necessary to prepare for these skirmishes, including militarily.

These sentiments among Chinese experts and the military did not just suddenly arise. There is a group of scholars and columnists, who since the beginning of the 2000s have been coming forward with nationalistic positions and have published a whole series of books on this topic.

Now the splash of harsh anti-American statements is tied to Obama’s promise to not begin polemics on topics such as human rights and Tibet. On this matter the leaders of China see that the U.S. is not demonstrating the expected restraint. In China, as earlier in the USSR, nothing good is expected of the democratic administrations in America. And now the actions of the White House are confirming the Chinese analysts’ pessimistic expectations.