(Xia Pingyang)

In recent times, top US officials such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and US Special Envoy on Climate John Kerry, have made frequent visits to China, signaling a high level of interaction between the US and China. Currently, while the global economy is still struggling to recover, China’s immense market vitality is accelerating and signifies that establishing stronger ties with China will bring about new opportunities. During a press conference in Beijing, Yellen also reiterated that the US does not seek to “decouple” from the Chinese economy.

According to a report by China’s “China News Network” on the 20th, “China News Network” interviewed Douglas Paal, a distinguished researcher at the Carnegie International Peace Foundation, and Sourabh Gupta, a senior researcher at the US-China Research Center, inviting the two senior professionals to interpret the development trend of Sino-US relations.

Yellen’s Visit to China Sends Positive Signal, US-China Cooperation is Vital

Paal believes that Yellen’s visit to China “is both to address some global concerns and to address issues related to US-China bilateral relations.” In these two areas, “there is great potential for positive cooperation between the US and China.” In both areas, there is ample opportunity for positive action “between the US and China.”

“Yellen’s visit to China sent a positive signal,” added Paal, “that the US and China are not opposing forces but can find peaceful and effective coexistence.” Gupta similarly believes that “cooperation between the US and China is crucial, whether in the ‘Indo-Pacific region’, the Asia-Pacific region, or globally.”

“A stable, constructive, and clear relationship between the US and China is the direction that the US and China should strive for,” Gupta pointed out.

The “decoupling” of the US-China economy is unrealistic; the US and China should maintain benign competition

Gupta believes that as the world’s two largest economies, competition between the United States and China is inevitable, but in the face of greater challenges, the two countries should cooperate. “Decoupling itself will bring more serious consequences,” Gupta said. “China is already a huge economy with a domestic gross product of $18 trillion, with a massive market size. The US proposal of ‘decoupling’ is partly based on economic reasons, aimed at excluding China from the value chain and supply chain system which has already gone beyond the so-called ‘national security’ claimed by the US. It will not only damage the US-China relationship but also disrupt the relationship between the United States and Asian countries.”

Paal, on the other hand, believes that as Biden has announced his candidacy for the 2024 US presidential election, he is currently more inclined to avoid conflicts with China and unnecessary risks. “Competition between the two countries will continue, but both sides should ensure that this competition does not turn malignant.”

Mutual trust between the two countries urgently needs to be strengthened to promote constructive coexistence

Paal pointed out in the interview, “There is a great deal of mistrust between the US and China at present, with the US believing that China is trying to replace its position. Therefore, the recent focus is to avoid unnecessary destructive consequences brought about by this mistrust.”

Paal provided suggestions, saying, “If we can enhance understanding of each other, then both the United States and China will benefit from it. This means avoiding political attacks and trying to explore each other’s areas of interest in depth in order to determine common ground between the two countries.”

Gupta also offered similar insights. He believes that the US and China should build “clear constructive coexistence relationships, and the US and China really do not have to be adversaries.” In this era of constant change in the international system, the two countries will face many global challenges, and only by working together can they build a better future.