SPACE FOR COOPERATION AND MANOEUVRES
Despite such nuances about securitisation, the US and China still have many disagreements, such as over how peace, stability and (which) rules, are maintained. Naturally, this has led to growing mistrust.
We tend to think of trust as “trustworthiness”, or whether others share our fundamental moral values and therefore should be treated as we would wish to be treated by them, which has social and psychological dimensions.
There can be a more calculative trust, however, based upon expectations about behaviour which may be created through enforcement, supervision or other mechanisms. So, cooperation may occur even between untrustworthy parties, as long as there are payoffs and structures in place so that the other party will act appropriately.
Even the US and the Soviet Union could agree on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty during the Cold War. And indeed, after meeting in November 2023 in a perceived effort to cool tensions, Mr Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to address climate change and fentanyl trafficking.
What about the related aphorism that as US-China tensions rise, there will be less room for other countries to manoeuvre? The Cold War demonstrated that greater differences may instead allow more space for other countries to play one off against the other, as many of the countries in the non-aligned movement accomplished.
Other countries have their own autonomy, to protect and advance their own interests first and foremost. Indonesia, for instance, has practised a “free and active” foreign policy since it became independent, “rowing between two reefs” during the Cold War.
While the world continues to navigate the delicate and complex US-China relationship for all its ups and downs, it is important to dispel some of the myths, lest they become self-fulfilling prophecies.
Chang Jun Yan is Assistant Professor with the Military Studies Programme and the US Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
