During his joint press conference at the White House with President Donald Trump on Sep. 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave the following formulation: While cooperation between the U.S. and China “may not solve every problem in the world,” without it, “it would be hard to solve many of the world’s problems.” This truthful remark was important for President Trump to hear, who, despite presiding over a breathtaking and glamorous state visit honoring the Chinese leader, was struggling to understand the significance the event itself held.
The visit began with the almost unprecedented greeting by Trump and First Lady Melania at Andrews Air Force Base for President Xi’s arrival, marking the first time a sitting U.S. President greeted a visiting head of state at the airport in over 60 years. The pair then held a joint press conference, presided over a military troop review in the Rose Garden, held high-level talks in the Oval Office, and enjoyed a lavish state dinner at the White House.
There is no question that the reception was warm and amicable, with both sides extending a hand of friendship despite the many challenges that exist in the relationship. Xi wrote in a statement released on the eve of his visit: “China and the United States should be partners, not rivals. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand.” During the White House press conference, he proclaimed that “the Thucydides trap can be overcome.” Trump, for his part, said that he and Xi had “forged a friendship… built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people.” He referenced the U.S.-China alliance to defeat fascism during World War II, noting: “Just as our people worked together to win that war, President Xi and I will continue working together to forge a better future for both of our nations.”
As far as it goes, the visit exemplifies the potential collaboration between the two countries.
Despite these hopeful tones, however, we must be honest about the dangerous realities of today’s situation. European and Western nations are pledging more and more support to Ukraine in a dangerous escalation toward all-out war with Russia. And the U.S. itself recently passed the Lindsey Graham Sanctions Act that will punish other nations for even trading with Russia. In addition, a dangerous rearmament is ongoing throughout Europe that is setting the stage for new and future conflicts. The UK is now joining in the Trump administration’s initiative of weaponizing space, and is forming a special squadron in the Royal Air Force for the purposes of “disrupting, degrading, and denying enemy activity… in space.” “This century will depend on control of space,” Defense Minister Wes Streeting said.
On the other hand, Trump is being attacked from all sides for even daring to meet with President Xi. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, at a Sep. 23 press conference alongside Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Andy Kim and Elissa Slotkin: “Trump is handing China the technology it needs to win the AI race.” All four senators demanded Trump stop further advanced semiconductor exports to China, and insisted China be held accountable in assisting Iran in the current war. With opposition like that, improved relations certainly become a challenge.
Yet, even beyond these external challenges, consider the view of the United States from the eyes of the rest of the world, where its president openly posed whether to “annihilate” Iran during his speech to the UN General Assembly, and threatened to “drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations.” Or of its decision to kidnap a sitting head of state and force the country’s leadership to sign over its massive petroleum reserves. President Xi is certainly keenly aware of this treacherous outlook amongst today’s ruling Anglo-American establishment, which believes in a geopolitical balance between the most powerful countries—and which hopes to rule over its “fair” share of the world.
This is not the view of China, nor of the growing portion of the world which is increasingly rejecting the failed unipolar model in favor of a new global architecture. As Helga Zepp-LaRouche put it in her weekly webcast on Sep. 23, there is a “whole group of nations rallying around a new principle, and that is the idea of partnership, of diplomacy, of coexistence, of the idea that the new name for peace is development, and to rule out war as a means of conflict resolution by basically saying that only diplomacy and negotiations are legitimate.” And between the approach of the defenders of the unipolar order, she remarked, “there seems to be a widening gap.”
It is now an urgent necessity to put this perspective on the table, and to mobilize awareness within the nations of the West that such an alternative option exists. The UN General Assembly this week offers an excellent opportunity in that regard. Tune into Friday’s meeting of the International Peace Coalition which will take up these questions in more depth.
