Why China – US confrontation persists: the unabated ideological conflict

Abstract

The opposition between China and the US is a reflection of the major global contests of the 21 st century. At its core, this conflict represents a rivalry between two distinct ideologies: liberal democracy and socialism with Chinese charac teristics. Driven by these divergent ideological frameworks, Beijing and Washington exhibit uncompromising stances on a myriad of issues including the trade war, the Covid-19 pandemic, the special military operation in Ukraine, and the situation in Taiwan. The essence of this ongoing ideological struggle stems from the inability of US values, which champion a “free world”, to reconcile with China’s ideological objectives. The critical question about how will the escalating ideological conflict influence the global order amidst Sino-American rivalry still needs to be answered.