Today's world needs US-China cooperation: expert

NEW YORK - It is "wishful thinking" for Washington to treat China as an adversary and a partner at the same time, an expert on American foreign policy said in a recent op-ed piece in The New York Times, calling on the US government to prioritize cooperation with Beijing.

Summarizing the Biden administration's policy and engagement with China, Peter Beinart, professor of journalism and political science at the City University of New York, said the United States wants to "work with China to address common challenges while competing from a position of strength."

However, "that's wishful thinking; the two goals collide," he said, adding that "it is only through far deeper cooperation that the United States can address what menaces Americans most."

In the opinion of the professor and commentator, US-China cooperation can help tackle crucial issues such as climate change, green technologies development and the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The inconvenient truths of today's world require far greater cooperation between Washington and Beijing," he said.

Unfortunately, such cooperation isn't compatible with growing antagonism in the United States, Beinart noted, urging Washington to make a choice between "the hawks who want to treat China as an enemy and progressives desperate for dramatic action to prevent climate and public health catastrophes."