National flags of U.S. and China wave in front of an international hotel in Beijing February 4, 2010. REUTERS/Jason Lee
DW: China is looking to challenge the US
The US is calling out China over Hong Kong and the South China Sea. But Beijing has its answer ready. Both sides are spoiling for a fight, and soon, says political scientist Deng Yuwen.
Tensions have been high between the US and China for years, but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent comments on territorial disputes in the South China Sea have taken the acrimony to a whole new level.
Four years after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declared China's claims in the region to be legally baseless, the US has now labeled them illegal, too. "The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire," said Pompeo.
Observers say this is the first time the US has taken sides against China rather than attempting to mediate a compromise. And the US is not just making empty threats. Its warships regularly patrol the contentious maritime area, though their presence is condoned by international law thanks to the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
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WNU Editor: The pandemic has exposed many of the differences that now exist between China and the U.S.. And unlike the past where the U.S. would try to find some common ground with China, that is definitely no longer the case.
