'Thucydides's Trap' author warns against demonizing China

BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Default antagonism toward China could elevate the risk of catastrophic military conflict down the road, and there are better options for pursuing U.S. objectives, American political scientist Graham Allison said in a recent interview with New York Magazine.

Allison, a professor of government at Harvard Kennedy School, has been an influential foreign policy voice for decades. He coined the term "Thucydides's Trap" to describe the historical tendency for established superpowers and upstart rivals to go to war with each other.

But now with American policies toward China getting more aggressive, Allison is sounding a warning.

In an article titled "Thucydides's Trap author on the Danger of Demonizing China" based on his interview with New York Magazine, Allison argued that the demonization of China in the United States comes as people awake to the fact that China really is emerging as a serious rival on many fronts, and in some instances has even displaced the United States.

"So I think the danger in demonization is both an overestimation of the Chinese challenge and an underestimation of it. This can lead to foolish reactions," he said.

Allison believes the purpose of communication between U.S. leaders and their Chinese counterparts is to "clarify where there are real differences on the one hand, but then dispel confusion or misunderstandings to avoid miscalculations that have historically led countries into wars that they didn't want."