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Online discussion


China versus the
United States:
A new Cold War?

Speaker: Michael Roberts (economist & author)

Tuesday 23 April 2024
19.00 London/Dublin
Zoom platform

Register

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErfuGopzkuGtVVs7NNBGgiC_pOjBsbGTtQ
 

Summary

It is claimed that the relationship between the United States and China is the “most consequential” geo-political relationship of the 21st century.  The US set the terms of political and economic order in the post WWII period.  However, the rise of China, particularly its rapid economic expansion over the last 40 years, has challenged that order.  If there is a county in the world that can challenge the hegemonic position of the United States it is China.

This fear of being displaced is reflected in the both the rhetoric and policies of successive US governments which have sought to slow the growth of the Chinese economy through restrictions on trade and technology transfer. There have also been military threats to China in the form of provocative statements around Taiwan and the creation of the AUKUS pact.  The US officially views China as a “competitor”. At same time the US economy and American owned corporations have benefited hugely from the trade and investment opportunities offered by China.

This discussion will examine the political and economic character of China and the complex and contradictory relationship that exists between China and the United States.  It will address the claim that a new Cold War is developing and the whether there is a real possibility of military confrontation.
 

Speaker

Michael Roberts is a Marxist economist. The author of The Long Depression: Marxism and the Global Crisis of Capitalism (Haymarket 2016) he writes regular commentary and analysis on his blog, www.thenextrecession.wordpress.com

His most recent articles on the relationship between the United States and China can be read here:
https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2024/04/10/chinas-unfair-overcapacity/
https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2024/01/26/china-versus-the-us/
 
 
 
 
 


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