Human rights, trade practices, even downed aircraft can be argued over and endured. But the Taiwan issue has real potential to embroil Washington and Beijing in years of destructive tensions or even a hot war. With deft policies on all sides, the Taiwan issue too can limp along indefinitely, never resolved but never exploding, many Western and Chinese experts say. The Chinese government's periodic outbursts of belligerence have never laid down an absolute reunification deadline. Instead, from Beijing's viewpoint, they have deterred the worst outcome a declaration of independence followed by war.
China has no intention of competing with the U.S. globally.
Even in Asia, he said, diplomatic cooperation has recently been common in places like the Koreas and East Timor. But that doesn't appear likely. Mr. Chu, like many Chinese experts, may be underestimating the extent to which China's own rising power will automatically widen Beijing's notions of its rights and interests, frighten its Asian neighbors and stoke fears in Washington. Certainly in the case of Taiwan, China's increase in threatening missiles and other offensive weapons will trigger more American transfers of advanced weapons. Mr. Chu, though, notes that China cannot possibly catch up with the United States economically, technologically or militarily for many decades.