In fact, there is a general feeling that neither China nor the US will allow current tensions to spiral out of control. How might the budding trade tensions between China and the US develop? What kind of attitudes do Chinese scholars take? Robert Lawrence Kuhn asked Wang Yong, Professor of International Political Economy at Peking University.

“I am cautiously optimistic. Economically, China and the U.S. are natural partners. Based on the concept of comparative advantage, both sides will continue to benefit from each other’s growth. One American political scientist, Professor Joseph Nye, back to the 1990s, made the statement: “If you treat China as an enemy, China will become an enemy”. I think it’s the same thing in the reverse direction. In China, and to Chinese people, if you treat America as an enemy, America will become an enemy. So we need strategic dialogue to have strategic understanding of each other. So I have the confidence that with the strong leadership of President Xi, China will meet these goals set by ourselves.”