The Hon. Kevin Rudd on The U.S.-China Trade War | Asia Society Skip to main content

Unsupported Browser Detected.
It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. We recommend Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge

  • Back to asiasociety.org
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Our Board
    • Our People
    • Careers
    • Internships & Volunteers
    • Contact Us
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Executive Roundtables
    • Past Events
    • Future of U.S. & China Conference
  • Support
    • Become a Member
    • Donate
    • Corporate Members
    • Volunteer
  • Blog
    • All Posts
    • Event Recaps
  • Shop
Northern California
Search
Northern California
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Our Board
    • Our People
    • Careers
    • Internships & Volunteers
    • Contact Us
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Executive Roundtables
    • Past Events
    • Future of U.S. & China Conference
  • Support
    • Become a Member
    • Donate
    • Corporate Members
    • Volunteer
  • Blog
    • All Posts
    • Event Recaps
  • Shop

  • All Posts
  • Event Recaps

The Hon. Kevin Rudd on The U.S.-China Trade War

U.S.-China Relations in Perspective with Hon. Kevin Rudd

Kevin Rudd

The Hon. Kevin Rudd giving his speech on the U.S.-China Trade War.

Room

Packed room for the speech and Q&A session.

Ken and Kevin

Ken Wilcox, Chairman of Asia Society Northern California (R) asks the Hon. Kevin Rudd (L) a question on decoupling.

Kevin Smiling

The Hon. Kevin Rudd answering a key question by Ken Wilcox.

Audience Q&A

A member from the audience asks The Hon. Kevin Rudd a question.

End

Adjourn

Enlarge Hide captions

SAN FRANCISCO, November 7, 2019 - President of the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) rejects the use of ‘decoupling’ and new ‘Cold War’ terms to describe the Relationship  of the United States and China

"In diplomacy, words are bullets" President of ASPI and 26th Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd warned the audience at the Tencent’s Palo Alto office on November 7, 2019. He stated that headlines declaring economic ‘decoupling’ and a burgeoning ‘cold war’ between China and the United States are dangerously inaccurate. Continuing to use these terms presents the danger of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. In his view, the facts to support the proposition that both countries are decoupling simply “do not stack up”. 

The Honorable Mr. Rudd described the need for more precise language when discussing the state of this relationship across six fronts; trade, foreign direct investment, technology, capital markets, currency, and talent. In all areas, he argued that making a truly decouplist argument would be highly complex, if not impossible. Regarding trade, the most watched area of the U.S.-China relationship, Rudd hinted at an upcoming potential Phase I deal (in alignment with comments from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce).  The scheduled upcoming tranche of tariffs are unlikely to be implemented, as both countries agree to do no further damage to their economies by increasing tariffs. He commented that “both countries got to the edge [of an economic cliff], and reached a decision not to jump into the ravine”.

Those in favor of complete economic separation between both nations should be careful what they wish for cautioned the former Prime Minister. He described the defining characteristics of the Cold War as threefold;

  1. A fundamental ideological chasm between both states;
  2. Zero Economic Engagement;
  3. and, Engagement in proxy wars

The current state of relations between both nations do not reflect these defining characteristics. Today, the United States remains the top trading partner for China, and China is the third largest trading partner for the U.S. trailing Mexico and Canada. However, words are powerful in diplomacy. A distinguishing precondition of the Cold War was a lack of economic engagement between both countries. Rudd argued against the “undisciplined and unhelpful generic debate that decoupling is happening across all fronts between both countries”. China and the United States are countries with highly intelligent people who he believes should be able to find a way to engage productively. However, dangerous inaccurate rhetoric when repeated like mantras can become self-fulfilling prophecies.

This event was co-hosted by Asia Society Northern California and Tencent America. Members of Asia Society Northern California received advanced access to the sold out event.

 

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
  • All Posts
  • Event Recaps
About
  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement
visit us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
global network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, D.C.
resources
  • Arts
  • Asia Society Magazine
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video
shop
  • AsiaStore
initiatives
  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Young Leaders
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Asian Women Empowered
  • Center for Global Education
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • China Learning Initiatives
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit
Connect
Email Signup For the media
Asia Society logo
©2022 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC