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Re-launch Trade Talks to Set China-US Relations in Course

Apr 13-2021   



The dramatic opening to the Sino-US strategic talks in Anchorage begs the question: Is confrontation becoming the motif of bilateral relations? In a commentary for Global Times, Prof. Yao Yang argues that despite an ideological gulf and geopolitical and technological rivalries, neither of the countries can fully shun cooperation with the other. Prof. Yao is Dean of the NSD.

 

As China ascends, an unconfident West has been bent on suppressing it through ideological means. Convicted that Western democracy is the sole and last system for human society, the American elite have harbored entrenched animosity towards the Chinese system, turning a blind eye to China’s spectacular achievement over the last four decades. Meanwhile, the Chinese people have ample reasons to be confident, taking pride in their long and uninterrupted civilization. China doesn’t aim to export its system, but it has gained enough confidence to compete with Western-styled democratic system on the international stage. The animosity of the American elite shows their lack of confidence, which has further weakened in the face of China’s successful dealing with the pandemic.

 

In the geopolitical and technological arena, the US has been acting on bandit’s logic in the disguise of freedom and national security. Perhaps only when China’s nuclear-powered submarines appear off the US eastern coast will Uncle Sam seriously ponders over stop meddling in the South China Sea, East China Sea and Taiwan Strait, writes Prof. Yao.

 

However, such rivalries are not what bilateral relations are all about. The last 40 years have seen ever closer fusion of the two countries in economy, human exchange and scientific research, and a total decoupling can only spell disaster for both. Not only did the Trump administration not manage to bring down American trade deficits and bring back manufacturing jobs, its tariff policy also wrought serious harm on American consumers. As the Biden Administration has repeatedly professed prioritizing worker’s interest, the two countries are likely to re-launch trade talks, with gradual cancellation of punitive tariffs a possibility.

 

In tech, there’s space for maneuvering, given the highly intertwining nature of global industrial chains. Notwithstanding the wishful thinking of some Americans to block China out of the high-tech arena, reasons abound for the two countries to jointly regulate technological competition within a controllable range.

 

The Anchorage meeting did come to some positive fruition, including agreement on setting up a joint working team for climate change and restarting human exchanges based on the progress of pandemic control, among others. Such a good opening surely heralds more high-level interactions this year, says Prof. Yao.

 

It’s advisable not to underestimate the impact of the last round of globalization on the American society. The American elite know that their country needs time to adjust, and such an adjustment needs the assistance of China, just like what happened after the 2008 financial crisis. But alas, the American elite are unwilling to speak out their request for help. China-US relations are of paramount importance to world peace and prosperity, and neither of them can develop without the other. Against this backdrop, China’s top diplomatic policy choice should be to adopt a more active stance in maintaining benign competition and even cooperation with the US.

Re-launch Trade Talks to Set China-US Relations in Course

Apr 13-2021   



The dramatic opening to the Sino-US strategic talks in Anchorage begs the question: Is confrontation becoming the motif of bilateral relations? In a commentary for Global Times, Prof. Yao Yang argues that despite an ideological gulf and geopolitical and technological rivalries, neither of the countries can fully shun cooperation with the other. Prof. Yao is Dean of the NSD.

 

As China ascends, an unconfident West has been bent on suppressing it through ideological means. Convicted that Western democracy is the sole and last system for human society, the American elite have harbored entrenched animosity towards the Chinese system, turning a blind eye to China’s spectacular achievement over the last four decades. Meanwhile, the Chinese people have ample reasons to be confident, taking pride in their long and uninterrupted civilization. China doesn’t aim to export its system, but it has gained enough confidence to compete with Western-styled democratic system on the international stage. The animosity of the American elite shows their lack of confidence, which has further weakened in the face of China’s successful dealing with the pandemic.

 

In the geopolitical and technological arena, the US has been acting on bandit’s logic in the disguise of freedom and national security. Perhaps only when China’s nuclear-powered submarines appear off the US eastern coast will Uncle Sam seriously ponders over stop meddling in the South China Sea, East China Sea and Taiwan Strait, writes Prof. Yao.

 

However, such rivalries are not what bilateral relations are all about. The last 40 years have seen ever closer fusion of the two countries in economy, human exchange and scientific research, and a total decoupling can only spell disaster for both. Not only did the Trump administration not manage to bring down American trade deficits and bring back manufacturing jobs, its tariff policy also wrought serious harm on American consumers. As the Biden Administration has repeatedly professed prioritizing worker’s interest, the two countries are likely to re-launch trade talks, with gradual cancellation of punitive tariffs a possibility.

 

In tech, there’s space for maneuvering, given the highly intertwining nature of global industrial chains. Notwithstanding the wishful thinking of some Americans to block China out of the high-tech arena, reasons abound for the two countries to jointly regulate technological competition within a controllable range.

 

The Anchorage meeting did come to some positive fruition, including agreement on setting up a joint working team for climate change and restarting human exchanges based on the progress of pandemic control, among others. Such a good opening surely heralds more high-level interactions this year, says Prof. Yao.

 

It’s advisable not to underestimate the impact of the last round of globalization on the American society. The American elite know that their country needs time to adjust, and such an adjustment needs the assistance of China, just like what happened after the 2008 financial crisis. But alas, the American elite are unwilling to speak out their request for help. China-US relations are of paramount importance to world peace and prosperity, and neither of them can develop without the other. Against this backdrop, China’s top diplomatic policy choice should be to adopt a more active stance in maintaining benign competition and even cooperation with the US.