CHINESE President Xi Jinping told visiting United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that Beijing remained committed to good ties with Washington. It is time for the US to show at least as much maturity as China has been showing.

A few months earlier, the American and Chinese presidents had talked tough during a telephone call while discussing US trade restrictions and Taiwan. It was good to see sanity returning to the scene. At a time when there are conflicts raging in the Middle East and Ukraine, the world simply cannot afford tensions over Taiwan.

The US backs Taiwan by providing military aid, and is cementing anti-China coalitions with its allies. The American sense of geopolitics is already keeping the entire Middle East destabilised. One wonders when, if ever, enough will be enough for the Americans.

In a world where humans have reached the bottom of the oceans and the outer-most space, we are still stuck in wars in the presence of global platforms that were developed to promote and sustain peace.

Imama Khalid
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2024