Photo: IC

Political chaos has become a new normal for the US. As the presidential election approaches, confusion has worsened while the country's foreign policy has become the focus of political games between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. This has severely restricted US foreign policy from being rational, and has victimized China-US ties.

The impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump launched by the Democrats has intensified friction between the two political parties, and the Republicans have fought back. 

The Republican base on Tuesday drove fundraising to a pro-Trump super political action committee America First Action, which is dropping $2.26 million in ads against "27 Democratic House members the group sees as most politically vulnerable in the impeachment fight," according to an AXIOS report. But the move could "get the base even more fired up."

Both parties upgraded their moves and countermeasures to knock off the other, but have only drawn themselves into a vicious cycle.

Trump described China as a strategic competitor and launched a trade war against it. He has taken advantage of the trade war to create an image that he is fighting for Americans, and thus to gain more votes. As the two countries strive for a phase one trade deal, Trump once again hinted to delay the deal as he likes "the idea of waiting until after the election for the China deal." 

Where did that "idea" come from? Maybe it was from the polarized US Congress. Both parties are using China as a token to gain the upper hand. Hence, Congress won't let Trump make a trade deal with China easily. 

From the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act to the so-called Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, when one party interferes in China's domestic affairs, the other won't allow itself to be left behind. 

In this context, two forces in the US are colluding. One force is the anti-China group represented by Republican senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, who use anti-China legislation and statements to enhance their own political careers. The other is an anti-Trump group who opposes anything Trump supports, including hindering him from reaching a trade deal with China. 

This is what US politics is really like. We can predict right now that the 2020 election campaign will be unprecedentedly fierce. It is pathetic for Democrats and Republicans to get where they are. 

Both parties have gone too far, and so has Washington's foreign policy. In addition to the trade wars it launched against China, India and Japan, the US has pointed its tariff gun at its ally France and Latin American "friends" Brazil and Argentina, not to mention its reckless policies toward Europe and Russia. 

Given such a mind-set of the US, not only China-US trade talks but also many other international agendas have been affected. After World War II, the US grasped the opportunity to establish a US-dominated world order, but it has also been damaging the system by breaking rules. More impact to the already fragile world order is coming.

As most countries pursue stability and development, they will join hands to rebuild the world order. It will take a long time to shape a new order, which will certainly be different from the US-dominated one. If the US doesn't stop harming the world and join rulemaking, some other countries will make the rules.