Toward better management of US- China relations
In 2020, US- China relations reached their worst point since the re- opening of relations in the early 1970s. Instead of cooperating to cope with the coronavirus, we blamed each other for the origins. Instead of cooperating to maintain stable international economic relations, we carried on a trade war and disrupted supply lines, creating uncertainties for businesses around the world. Instead of increasing the number of reporters in each country who could promote mutual understanding, both countries imposed new restrictions that limit the number. Scholarly contact has been greatly reduced. Tensions over Taiwan and in the South China Sea have increased. The risk of conflict of devastating consequences to both countries has also increased. None of these developments is in the interest of either of the two countries.
Given the broad- based competition and rising tensions between the two countries, and the different perspectives of the leaders and the public in the two countries, great progress in improving relations in the near future may be impossible. However, the arrival of a new administration in the US in January 2021 provides an opportunity to make adjustments in the management of the relations that would reduce the risk of conflict and increase cooperation to pursue common interests.
Political forces in both countries will make it difficult to promote cooperation with the other. President Joe Biden will be under pressure to ensure that he is not seen as weaker than his predecessor in dealing with China. He is unlikely to remove trade barriers without some concessions by China to remove restrictions on US companies in China. Many American leaders believe that China treats American companies unfairly and, despite some recent improvements, has been lax in protecting intellectual property. Chinese officials believe they are in a strong position in dealing with the US and should not yield to US complaints. Chinese officials also believe the US seeks to interfere with Chinese businesses throughout the world. Yet the two countries can avoid a vicious cycle of potentially endless further restrictions that would harm both.
We can begin by 1) cooperating in areas that are of clear mutual interest, 2) taking steps that prevent our relations from getting worse, 3) agreeing on some basic principles to govern international institutions.
Cooperating in areas of clear mutual interest a. Reopening of contacts that have been removed
To deal with ongoing issues between the two countries we need enhanced contacts at four levels: top leaders; senior diplomats and military leaders dealing with major issues; workinglevel diplomats and specialists in various locations – in China, the US, and in international institutions, and in the private sector between business groups, academics, students, and other groups of private citizens.
Top leaders: Fortunately, Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Joe Biden, President of the United States, have had numerous hours of contact when they were both vice presidents. They can set the general tone for relations between the two countries, begin to set the agenda for working- level cooperation on various issues, and lay the basis for addressing key policy issues.
Political and military leaders: Fruitful meetings are already taking place between military representatives of the two countries on how to avoid accidents. Conversations should proceed on how our countries can avoid conflict over other issues, including Taiwan, the South China Sea, the Western Pacific, and nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and Northeast Asia. The US can reduce Chinese concerns about their security in the waters around China, while China should reassure the US and other countries about freedom of navigation in East Asian waters.
Functional- level contacts: Dialogues between experts in our two governments have all but ceased, including contacts on health care, climate change, nuclear proliferation, energy security, international drug trafficking, and human trafficking. These contacts should be reopened quickly. This includes the reopening of the Chinese Consulate in Houston and the US Consulate in Chengdu, the restaffing of our respective embassies and consulates, and the revival of the Fulbright Program and the Peace Corps programs in China. Restrictions on journalist visas that have been put in place in the last several years should be removed.
b. Cooperation on environmental issues
China is currently the world’s biggest polluter, but it has made a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2060 and has already made rapid progress in wind and solar development and in electric vehicles. The US has contributed more than any other country to current levels of atmospheric pollution. Biden has already committed to rejoining the Paris Accord. The commitment of both Beijing and Washington provides a basis for cooperation and for working with other countries to advance sharing of scientific information and advancing the control of global warming.
c. Cooperation on public health, including control of pandemics
Many Chinese and American specialists already cooperate on health issues. The US is ahead of China in many areas of medical science and healthcare delivery, but China is more advanced in the utilization of health data and digital healthcare. Furthermore, China’s size and the prevalence of certain diseases enables it to make medical advances that could help Americans as well as citizens of other countries. Since the coronavirus is a global issue, cooperation between China and the US is essential to provide vaccines and medications for control of the virus throughout the world.
Preventing further deterioration of relations
The two countries must above all avoid military conflict. This will require mutual adjustment to each other’s security interests and strategic restraint. Second, despite extensive conflicts of economic interests, they must maintain robust economic relations and technological engagement. And they must cooperate to sustain global financial stability.
The two countries should collaborate to ensure the stability of an evolving international monetary system. Third, the two countries must maintain cooperation on humanitarian efforts and educational exchanges.
International institutions
It is in the interest of both countries to develop international institutions that can reduce the conflicts between the two countries and find ways to work together to promote broad- based global cooperation.
In the decades ahead, a key issue between the US and China will be the degree to which they can work together in the international organizations and the degree to which they will establish separate organizations. Chinese officials have felt that the US has impeded international organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund from giving China the important role that its economic success warrants.
The Chinese have taken the initiative to form and fund new organizations, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ( AIIB), and new associations with individual countries. The AIIB has made an effort to be inclusive and to establish rules that conformed to international standards. The US, fearing that the AIIB could be used to pursue national purposes, chose to not join and to discourage other countries from joining. This is now widely acknowledged in the US to have been a mistake.
China has also taken the initiative in conceiving a broad program of infrastructure assistance for countries in the Euro- Asian continental mass and beyond, the Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI). While there are valid criticisms or suspicions of some aspects of the BRI, many countries have benefited from BRI projects.
The US, China and the world would benefit from strong US- China competition and collaboration in improving global infrastructure. The quality of the projects and relations between China and the US could improve if firms from the US could take part in joint construction projects.
The role of scholars
Both governments should welcome scholars to pursue lawful, legitimate academic activities. Putting scholars and their activities at risk is deeply counter- productive to healthy relations between the two countries. While it is to be expected that each country will seek to protect itself and its citizens against espionage, unreasonable and indiscriminate limitations on scholarly exchange is not the answer.
We believe that scholars from the two countries can work together to contribute to US- China cooperation. Scholars working in the US and China want their country to prosper, but we also realize that our own country needs the cooperation of the other country and many countries in the world. We believe it is in the interest of the scholars of both countries to contain our differences and work together to form stable institutions, to help manage competition and increase cooperation between our two countries, and to build and share knowledge.