Weekly Blog - 6 February 2023 - US/China Relations
US/China Relations
US/China relations reached a new low over the weekend when the US shot down a Chinese balloon that had been floating over the country for a week. The US government claims it was a surveillance balloon that had flown over a number of sensitive military sites. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned diplomatic mission to China was cancelled in protest. The Chinese authorities claim it was simply a weather balloon that had been blown off course. Whatever the rights or wrongs of the particular situation, it is clear that relations between the world’s two superpowers are in a difficult place. The incident follows several years of trade sanctions and toughening rhetoric, China’s tacit support for Russia in its war in Ukraine, and increasingly threatening moves from China towards Taiwan. But does this really matter or is it all just rhetoric and posturing?
From a Christian point of view it clearly does. God loves everyone, and does not want to see any tensions, conflicts or wars between nations. As the Psalms tell us, “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.” (Psalm 46: 9) Of course open conflict between the US and China is thankfully a long way off. Nevertheless, in the current extremely fragile international context following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the world’s two superpowers should do all they can to calm tensions and move towards more positive relationships. One of the areas that a major report from Arise, the Arise Manifesto, looks at in detail is what the Bible teaches us, and all the evidence from history would indicate, works best for reducing tensions and resolving wars (Arise Manifesto, pg 88 – 91, 124 – 140). The report finds that the vast majority of suffering and death in conflict, occurs, not in the many relatively small, often internal, wars that take place around the world (as tragic as these certainly are), but in the few major international hot wars between powerful nations (Arise Manifesto, pg 96 – 99). Therefore it is incumbent on the governments of the world to do all they can not only to reduce and end ‘small’ conflicts, but to proactively work together to decrease tensions and prevent major international conflicts from breaking out.
What can be done to improve relations?
There are a number of important things that the Arise Manifesto finds that governments can do that are highly effective at preventing major wars from occurring (Arise Manifesto, pg 124 – 129). Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, they should pursue regular and cordial diplomatic communication, relations, dialogue and meetings (including at the highest levels), especially between powerful nations. No matter how difficult situations may become, it is critical that nations keep talking. It is hard to overemphasise the importance of this point. Secondly, nations should work to continually build a broad consensus around shared values, especially between powerful nations, on what good governance, peaceful co-existence, democracy and human rights looks like. The lessons from history indicate that the world has greater stability when the most powerful nations hold a broadly similar common set of values. Of course there is much that the US and China disagree over, particularly in these last two areas of human rights and democracy. The US should not in any way compromise in raising issues and concerns over democracy and human rights vigorously with China. Neither should China compromise on raising its own concerns about elements of US foreign policy. Nevertheless, there are many areas where the two nations can work together. Both want to see a stable and peaceful, rules-based, world order, and a healthy and flourishing global economy. They should also have a shared common interest in addressing global challenges like climate change and Covid.
Thirdly, nations can further foster stability by proactively supporting and constructively engaging with international institutions such as the United Nations (UN) and regional institutions like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organisation. Such institutions are critical international stabilisation mechanisms. A fourth crucial area for fostering stable and peaceful international relations is for all nations to prevent the further development, and contain the spread, of nuclear, biological, chemical or other weapons of mass destruction. All nations should sign and ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions, and work towards safely reducing existing stockpiles through negotiated agreements with independent verification. In a world where such horrors cannot be uninvented, unilateral disarmament by one side may not be the safest course. However, superpowers working together to safely reduce existing stockpiles through negotiated agreements with independent verification has proved to be effective.
Finally, and crucially for the US and China at this time, nations should avoid acting in an arrogant, high-handed or triumphalist fashion, and should avoid putting other countries in a position where they feel humiliated. Such actions are likely to inflame resentment and tensions. Countries should watch out for significant tensions that are emerging between nations (especially powerful ones) and work proactively through peaceful and diplomatic means to de-escalate them before they become full-blown conflicts, as a matter of high priority. This often means finding the ‘off ramp’, a way that allows both sides to claim a win and de-escalate tensions, without either side losing face or appearing to have backed down.
As difficult and hard as it may be, and as much as there continue to be serious differences over fundamental issues, the US and China should do all they can to re-establish good communications, keep talking, calm tensions and improve relationships. Such a constructive approach is much needed, and would be beneficial for the whole world.
Find out more
Find out more about how God is at work in the world, and the role we all have to play in that work, in the Arise Manifesto. This report is Arise’s big picture, researched, Biblical, holistic and practical vision for a better world. It looks at what the Bible says, and what we can learn from the best data and the world’s leading experts on the five major areas of evangelism, discipleship, social justice, development and the environment. It then draws these lessons together into a practical road map for the changes we need to see in our world, which the Arise movement campaigns to achieve.
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