HAWKS are fleeing and doves are flying high as highest policy makers of the USA and China are trying to make the bridges of mutual trust, better understanding maturing the spells of strategic communication which will hopefully pave the way of constructive negotiations. It seems that higher economic stakes, expanding social dividends and political consensus have become a magnetic force to pull both countries towards the common grounds of commerce, climate change and greater socio-economic integration providing the common ground of preventing the existing tensions. Thus, restraint, political decency, economic concessions and geopolitical accommodations should be the mantra to add pragmatic elements to China-US relations.
While meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan the Chinese President Xi Jinping rightly put forward holistic and comprehensive and strategic roadmap strategic covering overall and directional guidance on China-US relations, demonstrating to the US side China’s clear stance to maintain the stability of China-US relations and on that basis, improve and take forward the relationship. Despite rapidly changing socio-economic ties, widening geopolitical divisions and geostrategic conflicting realities China’s policy toward the US remains highly consistent, demonstrating a responsible attitude and injecting valuable positive energy into global peace and stability.
Xi’s recipe consisting of solidarity and coordination, development, peaceful co-existence and mutual respect is the need of hour which would be a giant step towards achieving the strategic goals of global shared prosperity, global development, global security and global civilizational initiatives in the days to come. Thus joint work for stability, world peace and a propeller for common development is the way forward. It is good omen that the Chinese position of firmly safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests remains unchanged, and its efforts to carry forward the traditional friendship between the Chinese and American people remain unchanged.
Xi expressed the hope that the US side will work with China in the same direction, view China and its development in a positive and rational light, see each other’s development as an opportunity rather than a challenge, and work with China to find a right way for two major countries to get along. During his three-day visit to China, Sullivan also met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. It seems that Sullivan’s wish to have communications with high-ranking Chinese officials in both diplomatic and military sectors as well as the top leader had been met, and show China’s sincerity in managing and stabilizing bilateral ties. After Sullivan concluded his visit, commerce and trade teams from both sides will meet in China next week. Hopefully, the expected meetings of heads of both countries in the upcoming the G20 Summit and the APEC meeting, will bring more fortunes for both sides.
In marathon diplomatic meetings, Taiwan, democracy and human rights, path and system, and right to development dominated the entire engagements. The Chinese side raised serious concerns, articulated its position and laid out serious demands on these issues. It is suggested that the people-to-people exchanges, including visa and flight issues, may see improvement after a series of communications between the two countries. However, the China-US frictions or tensions on Taiwan question, South China Sea, trade war or sci-tech restrictions are unlikely to see much improvement as long as the US’ China containment strategy remains in place. Thus sincere efforts should be made to make sure the existing tensions should not escalate and go out of control.
Obviously, the “three responsibilities” summarize the essence of China-US relations and profoundly reflect China’s sense of responsibility as a major power. Unfortunately, in recent years the US’ foreign policy remained inconsistent, with sudden emergency stops or even U-turns drawing vigilance and strong criticism from the international community. On the other hand, China has consistently maintained transparency in its foreign policy, with clear and open strategic intentions, and has upheld a high degree of continuity and stability. Thus China always views China-US relations and major power responsibilities through the lens of the “three responsibilities.” Therefore, the US and China should demonstrate broad-mindedness, vision, and commitment, enhancing the well-being of their peoples and promoting the progress of human society.
Moreover, the US politicians and the policy makers should understand and realize that the Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, the system of governance, and the right to development are the four red lines drawn by China in China-US relations. Sullivan reiterated that the US does not seek a new Cold War, it does not seek to change China’s system, the revitalization of US alliances is not against China, the US does not support “Taiwan independence,” and it does not seek conflict with China. In summary, hopefully both countries will maintain strategic communication and try to find a way for the peaceful existence of maintaining common attributes of global prosperity, stability, and harmony in a sustainable way.
First giant steps should be taken to find the right way for peacefully coexisting and common development despite their different civilizations, systems, and development paths. Hopefully the US will truly implement this attitude and come up with greater resolution inching towards greater matching boxes contributing sustainable inputs for global economic recovery and cooling down the hotspots. The US-China’s widening trade war has become one of the biggest hot debates in the world and ongoing tariff therapy is actually eroding the American industrial sector, showing a strong desire for both Chinese and American business communities to interact and cooperate.
Political wisdom should prevail to avoid any camp confrontation in which economic diplomacy, trade consultation and commerce consensus will bring common peace and security, and decoupling only leads to trapping oneself. The emerging sensitive issues of EVs, renewables and overcapacity should be reassessed and ultimately readdressed for achieving the common goals of development, positivity, productivity and participation in the world. Economic compulsions should be converted into greater economic consensus, political itching points should be converted into icebergs of cooperation & coordination, war mentality and industrial tariffs should not trap fields of AI and outer spaces and, most importantly, geopolitical and geostrategic hang-overs of the history should not be in search of any new scapegoat in Asia-Pacific to tarnish the ongoing strategic communication meetings.
—The writer is President, Pak-China Corridor of Knowledge, Executive Director, CSAIS, regional expert: China, CPEC & BRI.
(mehmoodulhassankhan@yahoo.com)
