CEVAP:

There are a number of sources of potential Chinese–US conflict. For example, cultural and ideological differences between ‘liberal-democratic’ USA and ‘Confucian’ China may provide the basis for growing enmity and misunderstanding. In this light, the peaceful transition from British hegemony in the nineteenth century to US global hegemony in the twentieth century was only possible because of historical, cultural and political similarities that allowed the UK to view the rise of the USA as essentially unthreatening. A conflict could also arise from divisions that already exist over issues such as Taiwan, Tibet and human rights generally, as well as over growing resource rivalry in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere. However, others have portrayed the rise of China in a far less threatening light. Not only are China and the USA bound together by the bonds of economic interdependence (the USA is China’s main export market, and China is the USA’s most important creditor), but, as the twenty-first century progresses, these two powers may create a new form of bipolarity, which, as neorealists argue, would usher in a higher level of security and stability. The USA, furthermore, has an interest in China assuming greater global responsibilities, both to share the burden of such responsibilities and to encourage China to bandwagon rather than balance.