The United States and China after the Beijing Summit: Is a New Cold War Possible? A Discussion

On 18 May, a discussion entitled “The United States and China after the Beijing Summit: Is a New Cold War Possible?” took place at the Moscow venue of the Valdai Club. Relations between China and the United States constitute a latent rivalry on the global stage that may shape international affairs for years, if not decades, to come. At the same time, the two powers are bound together by an enormous volume of economic ties, a high degree of interdependence, and shared involvement in addressing global challenges. The United States views China as its principal competitor for global leadership, and as a target for diplomatic and economic pressure. Washington is advancing against Chinese positions in the Middle East and Latin America. Beijing, for its part, avoids direct confrontation. Time is working in its favour, and the gradual weakening of the West will make the emergence of a multipolar world order—advocated by both China and Russia—inevitable. Could the rivalry between the two powers become the foundation for a new bipolar confrontation? What is the current state of relations between China and the United States, what are their prospects, and what are the key driving forces behind them? How will Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing affect these relations? What are Russia’s interests in this context? Speakers: Chaz Freeman, American diplomat and academic, former ambassador Ivan Zuenko, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of International Studies, MGIMO University, Associate...