Both Washington and Beijing are looking to the US-China summit this November to ease tensions as disagreements grow.
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| US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the US delegation (left) held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Chinese delegation in Malta, September 16-17. (Source: Chinese Foreign Ministry) |
There are many reasons to meet each other.
SCMP recently published an article stating that although the US and China have had many conflicts and disagreements recently, both sides still want to find a way to compromise.
After more than 6 months of arguing, "arguing", and even confronting each other in many areas, the leaders of China and the US finally planned an important meeting at the end of this year.
Over the weekend, Chinese Communist Party Politburo member, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Malta. This move is believed to pave the way for a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Biden in November, on the sidelines of the APEC Summit held in the US.
Compared with many high-level strategic dialogues between China and the US since 2021, the current balance of power between the two countries has some differences, which will make the China-US talks more targeted.
In Malta, Mr. Wang Yi and Mr. Jake Sullivan held many meetings with a total duration of about 12 hours, 4 hours longer than the previous meeting in Vienna (Austria) 4 months ago.
Some opinions in China believe that Beijing has successfully "counterattacked" Washington in terms of technology and military, gaining strategic dominance.
This makes the probability of a meeting between the Chinese and US leaders at the APEC Summit next November higher, expected to be up to 80%-90%.
Previously, the direct talks between the two leaders of China and the US on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in Indonesia in mid-November 2022 ended with both sides declaring achievements, agreeing not to let competition turn into conflict, needing to form a set of principles guiding bilateral relations, and confirming that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China.
However, Secretary of State Blinken's visit to China could not take place as planned (early February 2023) due to the balloon incident.
Since the balloon incident, Sino-US relations have become more tense than in 2022, the knot has tightened, and the two sides have even had intense tensions many times over the issues of the East Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
However, in major power relations, no matter how big the conflict is, the two countries still want to find opportunities for compromise. Now may be the right time for China and the US to start consultations.
Diplomacy paves the way for dialogue
On the other hand, economic cooperation between Washington and Beijing is also showing positive signs. The Chinese Ministry of Finance announced on September 22 that China and the US have decided to establish two working groups in the economic and financial fields. This is also a move to reduce trade tensions between the two countries.
The statement came after a meeting between Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in Washington.
These groups will hold regular and ad hoc meetings to discuss economic and financial policy issues frankly and directly, as well as exchange information on global financial and macroeconomic developments.
The two sides have also resumed talks in a number of other areas, while pushing for new dialogue on arms control and artificial intelligence.
This is considered the first tangible result after the commitments to reduce bilateral trade tensions that President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden made at their meeting last year.
On the social network X, Ms. Yellen wrote, the working groups "will serve as an important forum to communicate US interests and concerns, promote healthy economic competition between the two countries with a level playing field for American workers and businesses, and promote cooperation on global challenges."
“It is incredibly important that we talk, especially when we disagree,” Yellen stressed.
Thus, it is clear that both the US and China are promoting diplomacy, opening the door for dialogue to reduce tensions. A summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping is said to be on the agenda of both. The APEC Summit in San Francisco this November is a potential location.
As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, making progress in US-China relations may also be important for the Joe Biden administration.
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