Therefore, the current trade war between the United States and China can only be supported by its own national strength, but cannot mobilize the power of the entire world system. More importantly, a trade war would have no less negative impact on the United States than on China, both economically and politically.

On the eve of the G20 summit, Mr. Trump was eager to meet with the Chinese leader because he needed to get an end to a trade war that has done so much damage to the United States before he could turn his attention to his re-election campaign. For China, the opportunity to transform the international power system comes once in a hundred years. The last time, the United States seized the opportunity of the transformation of imperial system to the world system and surpassed and replaced Britain as the world hegemony. As for the most important way to seize the opportunity is not to take risks and confrontation, but not to make mistakes.

Under the imperial structure, China's relations with the United States are much more difficult than in the world system. In the past 200 years, first Britain became the largest empire in the imperial system, and then the United States became the hegemonic power in the world system. Both of these great powers have ruthlessly suppressed the rising powers.

The rising powers defeated by Britain included France, Russia and Germany; The rising powers that the us has defeated include Germany, the Soviet union, Japan and now China. The question, then, is whether this round of repression will doom China? The answer is the opposite.

Great power relations in the world system are dominated by cooperation, while great power relations in the imperial system will inevitably fall into confrontation. This is determined by a structural force that has nothing to do with the domestic politics of these countries, and is not solely determined by the so-called national interests.

However, to achieve the goal of the system, the most decisive factor, depends on whether China can at home to establish a more just and balanced income distribution system, and a kind of economic growth to benefit the economic development of every citizen to system, if the system can't set up at home, so fair and balanced world system or repress conflict imperial system, it is impossible to set up in the world. On the other hand, if the system succeeds at home and abroad, even the us will have to go back and rejoin.

But the problem is that the international power structure itself is in transition. By taking the lead in withdrawing from the world system, the United States has been unable to mobilize the power of the system against China.

Kenneth woltz has proposed The structure selects theory, that is, on The world political stage, The system structure constrains The behavior of a country and determines The result of its behavior. Countries that want to be winners must follow the structure of the international system. That is, countries that move according to the law of the international system will survive and develop, while countries that move against the law of the international system will decline. This law refers to the use of system power: just as Britain used the system of colonial empire to control the world; Just as the us USES the world system to maintain hegemony.

(Picture Source:Baidu)

China's rise is now faced with an unprecedented opportunity, that is, we are in the original world system collapse and the establishment of a new imperial system of transition. In fact, the most powerful incumbent in a system, at least for the past 200 years, has a high probability of defeating a rising power. That is because the strongest incumbents can use the power of the system against rising powers, just as Britain united all its business empires to defeat the industrial empire of Germany; The United States mobilized the soft and hard powers of the west to bring about the collapse of the Soviet union; The United States also joined more than a dozen countries in pressuring Japan to sign the plaza accord.

Developing countries, from Mexico to India, have seen their relations with the us cool dramatically under an aggressive "America first" policy. In the us system of Allies, the group of seven western countries, many countries have said to join China's "One Belt And One Road" initiative.

The so-called repair of the world system is because economic globalization still has the value of survival and the motivation for improvement. To completely abandon the system that has enabled mankind to achieve historic economic achievements is not justifiable in morality and interests. So-called into possible imperial system carefully, because the empire system inner conflict, let the nation to strong enough before put into system, and can form the independent control of economic circulation system, reduce the dependence on other countries, and to suppress the empire system due to the economic interests intersect and the possibility of conflict.

This time, China may seize the moment as the system shifts. That is, in the event that the United States may withdraw from the world system, it can take advantage of the power of both systems by repairing the old world system and prudently investing in the possible imperial system.