Containment Is a Choice

The U.S. cannot seek to contain China without creating the hostility and mistrust that will lead to Cold War-like conditions.

David Ignatius misses the point:

If Biden truly doesn’t want a new Cold War with China, he needs to say so forcefully — and directly to Beijing.

Biden has uttered these words many times, but neither the Chinese government nor our own policymakers believe them because he has not governed accordingly. The Biden administration’s policies are not the policies one would pursue if one wanted to avoid a new Cold War. Put another way, the U.S. cannot seek to contain China without creating the hostility and mistrust that will lead to Cold War-like conditions.