A prominent international relations scholar warned that war between China and the United States, while not inevitable, was probable, but their interdependence in areas such as the economy and climate could help them avoid conflict.
“War between US and China, inevitable? No. Likely? Yes,” said Graham Allison, the founding dean of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Allison, who served as assistant secretary of defence under former US president Bill Clinton, made the comments on Sunday at the Harvard College China Forum.
Allison’s speech came after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 34 per cent tariff on China last week, which provoked a tit-for-tat response from Beijing.
This latest round of duties – the third since Trump returned to the White House in January – has raised the total tariff rate on Chinese goods to 54 per cent.