The Pacific--Region should give a cold shoulder to the US' attempts to polarize the world

The leaders of China and the United States made joint efforts to uphold world peace and development in their meeting in Bali, Indonesia, ahead of the G20 summit. The two sides, despite their differences, reached substantial consensuses on issues including strengthening dialogue, managing conflicts and opposing the use of nuclear weapons.

But among the many challenges it faces, China needs to be very vigilant about the polarization of the international order by the US, which is the current grand strategy of Washington. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it is an important aim of Washington to bind China and Russia together. The polarization of the international order has exerted a very negative impact on Asia. Most Asian countries have profound relations with both China and the US. Good China-US relations can ensure their security and development.

Today, the US has established blocs in Asia with bilateral alliances such as the US-Japan alliance, the US-Republic of Korea alliance, and the US-Australia alliance, the trilateral security partnership "AUKUS" — Australia, the United Kingdom and the US — the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and the Five Eyes Alliance (composed of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). The US is now building another alliance that includes Vietnam, Singapore and other countries, on the basis of the Quad. If an Asian version of NATO is formed in the future based on the development of this trend, then Asian countries will never enjoy peace again. NATO was born out of the Cold War. After the Cold War, with the disappearance of its opponent, the Warsaw Pact, NATO should have been reformed or even disbanded. However, the bloc, instead of being disbanded, has been expanding to become what it is today.

While Washington is forcing some countries to choose sides, Beijing has refrained from doing so, which has avoided the division of Asia. The exclusive multilateralism of the US is in stark contrast to China's inclusive multilateralism. China's inclusive multilateralism has yielded positive results. Asian countries have their own ability to make judgments. At this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, the Indonesian foreign minister pointed out that Asian countries should use the "Asian way" instead of the "American way" to get along with China, which has won the approval of most Asian countries.

As the largest country in Asia, China has more and greater responsibilities for peace in Asia.

By Yongnian Zheng

Region should give a cold shoulder to the US' attempts to polarize the world