Creative Diplomacy, Not Coercion, Pays Off

After meeting in Geneva, the U.S. and China have announced a 90-day truce to their trade war. This has offered both nations a space to build trust, continue with negotiation and resolve their outstanding issues. Other nations are also lining up to make fresh trade deals with the USA. American President Donald J. Trump’s hostility with China began with a huge trade deficit of $295 billion. He realised that his nation cannot afford to fight three-front wars: on the economic front with China and its allies, on the military front with Russia over Ukraine and non-state armed actors in West Asia. The rise of multi-polar world order marks the decline of the West’s hegemonic world order. This order is contested now as Asia outpaces it in population, wealth and cutting edge technologies needed for sustainable progress.