On May 28, the National People's Congress passed the draft of the National Security Law for Hong Kong. U.S. President Donald Trump immediately held a press conference on the following day, condemning the enactment of the law. He stated that procedures have been started to revoke Hong Kong's special status with limited exceptions. President Trump also stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) did not carry out reforms as requested, thus the relationship between the WHO and the U.S. will be terminated. He said that the world needs answers from China on the virus.

Till now, the Wuhan virus has caused over a hundred and seven thousands deaths in the U.S., which is more than the casualties of the U.S. army in the Vietnam War and Korean War combined. And the U.S. economy is heavily impacted. The CCP really should not underestimate the U.S.' repercussions. The U.S. presidential election is approaching soon. Trump stated on April 29 that China will do everything to make him lose, claiming that Beijing favors Biden, as that will lower the tension of the US-China trade war.

How will the US-China relations be in the future? How will the two interact in the “New Cold War" era? We can have a glimpse of U.S.’ tactics towards China in the "United States Strategic Approach to The People's Republic of China" released on May 20 by the White House.

The White House clearly stated in the report that China "violated their commitment in trading and investing, freedom of speech and freedom of belief and religion, political interference, freedoms of air and flight, internet and other types of espionage and theft, military expansion, environmental protection, and global health.”

Washington To Take Competitive Approach

The high level of autonomy and systems remain unchanged for 50 years in Hong Kong , as promised by China in 1984, is now just another example of China's dishonesty, which was foretold back in 2017. On June 30, 2017, 20 years after the Handover, the then spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Lu Kang declared the Sino-British Joint Declaration is a “historical document” with “no realistic meanings.”

The Sino-British Joint Declaration was not the first treaty that China has openly violated. In 1951, China and Tibet signed the Seventeen Point Agreement and promised that the political system of Tibet will remain unchanged. But in 1959, China violently massacred Tibetans, and the Dalai Lama was exiled overseas till now.

The revoke of Hong Kong's special status will change all arrangements regarding US-HK relationship, including extradition and technology export restrictions. The U.S. Department of State will also alter the travel alert level to Hong Kong. The sanctions the U.S. imposed on Hong Kong will bring unforeseeable negative impacts.

Other than the Hong Kong issue, US-China is still related in military, economy and political aspects. The report mentioned that the U.S. will continue to urge China to put on desk for negotiations issues related to military equipment controls and strategic risks, and to increase Beijing’s transparency to avoid any misjudgments. For that, the U.S. military department is willing to engage with China for better communication.

The report stated that the U.S. hoped that with bilateral exchange, China would become more open. However, Beijing’s reform has slowed down or even gone backwards, which in turns bring challenges to the U.S.' economy, security and values. The U.S. will have to adopt a more competitive approach towards China to secure the peace and prosperity of the U.S..

Beijing made several empty promises regarding government lead industrial espionage, they signed multiple international intellectual property agreements, yet still, more than 63% of counterfeit goods came from China. Hence, the U.S. imposed the tariffs on Chinese products. After 18 months of negotiation, the U.S. and China signed the first phase of trade deals on Jan 15 this year. However in the recent report, the U.S. stated that unless they have reached a fair and mutual agreement in phase two, the tariffs will not be lifted.

U.S. underestimated China’s desire to control

The report stated that the U.S. will not comply with Beijing's request in creating an appropriate “atmosphere” or “condition” for communication. The U.S. considers “symbolism” and “pageantry” are of no value, instead, they demand “tangible results” and “constructive outcomes”. As “quiet diplomacy” proves futile, the U.S. will increase public pressure on China. That is why Trump stayed high profile while negotiating trade deals with Beijing; and Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo also publicly condemned China’s threat and showed support to Taiwan. They hope these public pressures can force China to be more committed to keeping promises.

Since 1979, the development of the US-China relationship has been rough. The report stated that the U.S. hopes that China will become a responsible global stakeholder. Yet, they clearly underestimated CCP’s desire to control and restrict China’s economic and political reforms. Regardless, the U.S. is still willing to maintain “constructive" engagement and cooperation with China if interests align, in a “respectful yet clear-eyed manner”, so as to challenge Beijing to uphold its commitments.

(Joanne Chang, Adjunct Research Fellow of Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica)

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