LEWISBURG, Pa. — As the summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping nears at the end of this week amid tariff war tensions, there is still hope that the two leaders can stabilize the fragile U.S.-China relationship and strike a trade deal. But Bucknell University Professor Zhiqun Zhu, political science and international relations — a noted international media expert on Chinese foreign policy and U.S.-China relations — warns that the competition between the two global economic giants makes this fragile relationship complicated.
“The structural competition between a rising power and a dominant power means tensions will always be present in the U.S.-China relationship,” says Zhu, editor-in-chief of China and the World. “Even if Trump and Xi can reach some agreement, the competitive nature of the relationship will stay.”
While competition continues to intensify between the two most influential global economies, Zhu says it is crucial that Beijing and Washington effectively manage their differences and prevent the emergence of a full-scale, zero-sum, adversarial relationship and the outbreak of a military conflict.
“The future of the U.S.-China relationship is not preordained. It will be determined by the changing dynamics of the relationship, domestic politics and the choices of policymakers,” he says. “All stakeholders involved, including the international community, should encourage the two powers to work together to handle the competition judiciously and avoid a catastrophic conflict that neither country wants.”
###
CONTACTS: Zhu, 570-577-2050, zhiqun.zhu@bucknell.edu; Mike Ferlazzo, 570-577-3212, 570-238-6266, mike.ferlazzo@bucknell.edu