What is the New Cold War?
Relations between China and the United States have been deteriorating for years, and the global COVID-19 pandemic isn’t helping. Each country blames the other for the situation and do not hesitate to brandish threats. Some analysts believe a new cold war is upon us.
The original Cold War was a period of confrontation between the US and the USSR, between 1947 and 1991. It was marked by the ideological rivalry of communism versus capitalism, each seeking to exert as much global influence as possible. However, the two countries never confronted each other directly, hence the war is referred to as “cold”.
Today the term “the new cold war” is often used by experts, editorialists and even political figures. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, for instance, has suggested that Washington’s attacks pushed China towards a new cold war.
Indeed, China and the US are in a geopolitical conflict over issues like Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea. China is seeking to assert its power; it enjoys a substantial presence in Africa and aims to consolidate its maritime position with the help of the New Silk Road project.
Another part of the battle is fought online by hackers looking to access sensitive information. The countries have been at loggerheads for years over allegations of the Chinese government stealing trade secrets from American companies, like Google, Microsoft and Intel.
China and the United States are fighting a trade war, too. Americans had introduced punitive customs duties which remained in force until the two countries reached a new agreement in January 2020.
But with Covid19 in the picture, tensions have escalated even further. The United States recently withdrew from the World Health Organisation, accusing the agency of supporting China.
The US also recently made a formal accusation that China was funding and operating cells of hackers to infiltrate COVID-19 research labs.
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