Bannon's anti-China ideology belongs where it is – in the dustbin

Stephen Bannon [Photo/Xinhua]

On Friday, September 8, The New York Times reported that Bannon was "taking his insurgency abroad." The report was about his plans to travel to Hong Kong to deliver a keynote address at an investor conference on Tuesday, where he will articulate his call for a much tougher American policy toward China, The Times reported. Bannon is now in China.

Bannon, who was forced out of the White House about three weeks ago, views China as one of the greatest threat, because it is the only state that could transform the almighty US into a second-rate power. "A hundred years from now, this is what they'll remember — what we did to confront China on its rise to world domination," Bannon said in an interview, previewing the themes in his speech. In a different interview with American television program 60 Minutes on Sunday, Bannon declared China the "biggest single problem we have on the world stage," and accused China of "cutting out the beating heart of American innovation."

Bannon's aggressive views on China are no secret. In March 2016, he declared that the US and China will fight a shooting war within the next 10 years in the South China Sea. Last month, he told The American Prospect that the US is already in an "economic war with China," and predicted that "one of us" is going to be a hegemon in the foreseeable future.

Given his extreme views, it is little wonder why he got booted from the White House. His thinking is not only simplistic and outdated, but the core logic of his flawed thinking is that the US, and only the US, should dominate the entire system, China included.

Bannon assumes that China is seeking world domination, and that the China-US trade relationship is more destructive than it is mutually beneficial. But China has made it clear that it is not seeking and never will seek world domination. Furthermore, the trade relationship has created substantial benefits for Americans. According to a study commissioned by the US-China Business Council, trade with China supports roughly 2.6 million jobs in the US across a range of industries. The simple truth is that China's growth has benefited Americans and the world immensely.

Bannon's exit shows that his ideology and view of China have been swept into the dustbin. As an influential person in media, Bannon now has the opportunity to promote peace and prosperity rather than division and conflict. Both countries would be better served if Bannon used his influence to build bridges with China and let more people understand the reality and importance of the China-US relationship.