Are China and America set to face off in a warmed-up version of the cold war?

Tensions and temperatures are rising between the United Stated and China.   The straws on the camel’s back have been adding up in recent years, and the recent rhetoric about the origins of COVID-19 and the reaction to China’s further pursuit of the ‘One-China’ policy may be seeing both countries crossing the political Rubicon and headed toward a stand-off.  The first shot fired may be China sending two air raft carriers to the Yellow Sea.

This will be the first time China's new aircraft carriers deploy together for the first time and the move has sparked fears in Taiwan of a possible invasion of its Pratas islands - which could then be used as a staging point for an attack on the mainland. 

It comes after Beijing threatened to "reunify" Taiwan in response to Donald Trump saying he could "cut off the whole relationship" with China.

Tensions have been growing between the US and China over the origins of Covid-19.

The US said on Friday it is set to ban trade with 33 Chinese companies.

But China's foreign minister Wang Yi said yesterday this would risk "a new Cold War" as he rejected Washington's "lies" over its handling of coronavirus while saying Beijing was open to an international effort to find its source.

Wang said the United States had been infected by a "political virus" compelling figures there to continually attack China.

He said: “It has come to our attention that some political forces in the US are taking China-US relations hostage and pushing our two countries to the brink of a new Cold War." May 25 – The Sun

It is a concerning development given the current state of global affairs. And there are a lot of questions to be asked:

• What will it take to de-escalate the issue?
• What would a 21st Century cold war look like?
• And at what cost will this come to both countries who are dealing with serious economic pressures at home?

If you are a journalist covering this topic – then let our experts help.

Dr. Glen Duerr's research interests include comparative politics and international relations theory. Glen is an expert on this subject and is available to speak to media regarding this topic– simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.