Sino-U.S. Cold War will set in ?

More than half of Chinese people questioned in a poll believe China and America are heading for a new "cold war".

The finding came after battles over Taiwan, Tibet, trade, climate change, Internet which have poisoned relations in the three months since President Barack Obama made a fruitless visit to Beijing.

According to diplomatic sources, a rancorous post-mortem is under way inside the US government, led by officials who think the president was badly advised on China and was made to appear weak.

In China's eyes, the American response — which includes a pledge by Obama to get tougher on trade — is a reaction against its rising power.

An independent survey of Chinese-language media for the Sunday Times has found army and navy officers predicting a military showdown and political leaders calling for China to sell more arms to America's foes.

The trigger for their fury was Obama's decision to sell $4 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan.

"We should retaliate with an eye for an eye and sell arms to Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba and Venezuela," declared Liu Menxiong, a member of the Chinese people's political consultative conference.

Officially, China has reacted by threatening sanctions against American companies selling arms to Taiwan and cancelling military visits. But Chinese analysts think the leadership, riding a wave of patriotism as the year of the tiger dawns, may go further.

But there are a few voices urging caution on Chinese public opinion. "China will look unreal if it behaves aggressively and competes for global leadership," wrote Wang Yusheng, a retired diplomat, in the China Daily.

He warned that China was not as rich or as powerful as America or Japan and therefore such a move could be "hazardous".  (From Sunday Times)


Is it possible that a new Cold War would break out between China and the U.S. ?