Nationalism and national Identity are critical for nation-building, but they could also lead to the denigration of other nations and their citizens. They are often thought to fuel and toxify the current strategic rivalry between the United States and China. The pandemic and the resultant tendency of the governments and people of both countries to cast blame on each other and to prioritize national interests above the global collective good further increased the “othering” between them. Indeed, American and Chinese rhetoric and discourses based on civilizational, cultural, normative, and ethno-racial themes of the “Self” and the “Other” appear to be on the rise.
This panel explores whether and how identity and nationalism have contributed to the intensification of the rivalry between the two superpowers. Are identity and nationalism linked and how are they linked? Do they drive and constrain the foreign policy choices of the two governments? Do they translate to a more aggressive brand of foreign policy? How true is the assumption that nationalism is on the rise in both countries? Is nationalism in China anti-American and vice versa? What is the prognosis for the effect of these forces on US-China rivalry and the future of the international order? In this panel, five experts on identity, nationalism, and public opinion in China and the United States explore these important questions and discuss ways to mitigate the negative effects of identity and nationalism on US-China rivalry.