TEHRAN – Professor Hongda Fan believes that Washington is worried that the United States' international status will be replaced by China and thus adopts a confrontational stance against Beijing.

Tensions between the US and China over the self-ruled island of Taiwan intensified following a provocative visit there in August by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives. It prompted large-scale Chinese military drills around the island territory as well as a declaration by US President Joe Biden to defend Taiwan.

Her visit infuriated China, which has sovereignty over the self-ruled Chinese Taipei and has publicly stated that it may take it by force one day, if necessary.

Under the “one China” policy, nearly all countries across the globe, the US included, recognize Beijing’s sovereignty over Chinese Taipei. 

Washington, however, engaged in direct contact with the secessionist government in Taipei, in violation of its own stated policy. The US also supplies Taipei with massive amounts of armaments.

Recently, General Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, sent a memo to the officers he commands that predicts the United States will be at war with China in two years and tells them to get ready by firing "a clip" at a target, and "aim for the head".

Gen. Minihan said, “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025.”

To shed light on the issue, we reached out to Hongda Fan, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University.

Following is the full text of the interview with him:

Don't you think that this is just the tip of the iceberg and the US has planned much more for China?

Frankly speaking, the relationship between the United States and China has been difficult since the Trump administration. In recent years, these two countries with the most international influence are in a relatively obvious confrontation. Therefore, I believe Washington has quite a few plans for China.

We already see that the US policy in Ukraine has cost so much for the world economy and people, especially in poor countries. Can such a stance towards a big economy and military power like China even leave a much more negative effect on people of the world? 

There is no doubt that if the United States takes major offensive actions against China, it will have serious negative effects on the entire world. The people of the world, including Americans, will suffer as a result. After all, a confrontation between the world's two largest economies will inevitably affect many countries.

From time to time, we hear about possible beginning of WWIII, do you see any possibility for it?

As a pacifist, I absolutely hate war. I don't think World War III is imminent if the decision-makers of the world powers put the interests of their people first. There are indeed many contradictions in the current international community, but there are also many factors that restrict the outbreak of war.

It seems that the US has chosen confrontation instead of rivalry with its major rivals. Don't you think so? If yes, how destructive is such a policy for world security and stability?

From the perspective of world history and the history of international relations, competition is the normal state of relations between world powers. To a large extent, healthy competition among world powers is one of the factors for world progress. Since becoming the number one power in the world, the United States believes that it has not encountered the challenge of a country as powerful as China. Washington is worried that the United States' international status will be replaced by China and thus adopts a confrontational stance against China. As the past few years have demonstrated, a U.S.-China confrontation can have serious negative repercussions for the international community. The United States should look at the development of other countries more rationally. Instead of worrying about its international status being replaced, it is better to do more things that benefit the people of its own country and the world. Such a country is more likely to be recognized and praised by the international community.