Any war between China and the United States will be globally destructive and peace is the only way forward, a prominent Chinese scholar said on Monday.
Dr Victor Gao, chair professor at Soochow University and vice president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, said the world needed cooperation rather than confrontation.
Speaking at an event in the Chinese embassy titled ‘Chinese modernisation and diplomacy,’ he said a critical decision both nations must make is: whether to intensify into confrontation or embrace peaceful development.
He said China was for peace. Gao added that maintaining “healthy, steady, and constructive” relations between the two superpowers was a global need.
Discussing the consequences of US violations of the one-China policy, Dr Gao cautioned that each provocation would lead to unbearable consequences, emphasising that the US legally and internationally acknowledged the one-China principle since 1979.
Dr Gao underscored the importance of China’s commitment to reform, opening-up policies, and the promotion of globalisation and free trade.
He said the world awaits China’s response to these challenges and uncertainties, as outlined in the decisions made during the crucial meeting of the CPC Central Committee on July 31, 2018.
He pointed out that China had raised voice for the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. “We don’t ask Pakistan to choose between China and the US. We want them to see who is right,” he contended.
Gao said the idea of an economic corridor to confront the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was flawed.
Gao said the Belt and Road Initiative was bound to benefit the whole region and the world. He said China desired peace but was ready to defend the motherland.
