When talk of a “new Cold War” between a United States-led coterie of allies and a Beijing- Moscow axis first made the rounds about two years ago, it did not stir much interest in China. In recent weeks, however, it has become a hot topic among the Chinese.

While the new interest in no way reflects China’s desire to pursue such a development and conditions do not exist for a redux, precautions should still be taken to lower the chances of a flare-up, say analysts.

The Chinese interest was sparked after it was announced early last month that the United States would deploy its Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) anti-missile system in South Korea. While the move was to counter a threat from North Korea, China and Russia found such an advanced anti-missile system too close for comfort.

… Singapore-based analyst Daniel Chua, who has studied the history of the Cold War, said the correct perspective is to look at recent developments from a bilateral point of view. “China and Russia may move closer and develop their own confidence-building measures, such as joint exercises, but these actions may not be aimed at the US. In fact, the US also conducts exercises with China,” he told The Straits Times.

Assistant Professor Chua of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies added that a key factor lies in the management of US-China relations as both countries are adjusting to each other’s dominance. For instance, when China takes assertive actions against smaller regional countries, including American allies, the US government would need to step in.