It’s Time To Say Farewell to the Old and Welcome the New in US-China Relations

On the morning of Chinese New Year’s Eve, Feb. 11, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with U.S. President Joe Biden. The two heads of state shared greetings on the Chinese New Year of the Ox and exchanged in-depth views on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues. This was the first call between the two since Biden took office. Since Biden took office, when the leaders of China and the U.S. would speak to each other had been the focus of international public attention. The call across the Pacific sent a trio of positive signals about the direction of U.S.-China relations at a time when the Chinese people were celebrating the new year.

The call sends a positive signal that China and the U.S. hope to rebuild a mechanism for dialogue. Over the past few years, as some U.S. politicians have clung to a Cold War mentality, treating China as a threat, there have been a series of unfortunate words and actions interfering in China’s internal affairs and harming China’s interests; they have damaged U.S.-China dealings and mutually beneficial cooperation, tried to push for a “decoupling” of China and the U.S. and even a “new Cold War.” China-U.S relations have been in almost a “freefall” decline. Setting things right and stopping the fall are the current top priorities of the U.S.-China relationship. The Los Angeles Times said that the first phone call with Xi Jinping indicated that Biden hopes to reset U.S.-China relations.

Jin Canrong, associate dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, said that in the past few years almost all of the hundreds of exchange and dialogue mechanisms between China and the United States have been cut off. In such circumstances both sides assume the worst and plan for the worst, and bilateral relations are bound to spiral downward. Resumption of dialogue between China and the U.S. is vital. Reinstating dialogue mechanisms will help to accurately understand each other’s policy intentions and avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments.

The call sends a positive signal that China and the U.S. still want to cooperate with each other. Over the past 40-odd years, the relationship between China and the United States has developed into one of the most closely intertwined bilateral relationships in the world, with the widest areas of cooperation and great common interests. Take, for example, economic and trade relations between China and the United States, which are the “ballast” of the relationship. In 2020 U.S.-China relations experienced their grimmest phase since the establishment of diplomatic relations, but U.S.-China economic and trade cooperation grew against this trend, with the annual volume of trade in goods increasing by more than 8%. The U.S.-China Business Council reports that 91% of U.S. companies surveyed said they remained profitable in the Chinese market last year and 87% said they would not be withdrawing from China. Statistically, U.S.-China economic and trade cooperation supports 2.6 million jobs in the United States and the trade between the two countries saves each U.S. family an average of $850 per year in living costs.

If China and the U.S. cooperate they both benefit; if they fight they both lose. China and the U.S. share a wide range of common interests and have massive room for cooperation. Cooperation has been the main theme of U.S.-China relations in the past and should continue to be the main theme in the future.

The call between China and the U.S. sends a positive signal about contributing to global peace and development. In the face of the current uncertain international situation, China and the United States, as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, bear special international responsibilities and obligations. Take the response to climate change as an example. In 2020 China proposed that carbon dioxide emissions peak in 2030 and to strive to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. The Biden administration has stated that it will rejoin the Paris agreement on climate change.

Jin Canrong believes that on the question of climate change, there is room for China and the U.S. to reach a consensus, and a breakthrough on this issue may drive cooperation in other areas in the future. Practice has long shown that U.S.-China cooperation can accomplish many great things that benefit both countries and the world: the joint response to the international financial crisis in 2008, the joint fight against the Ebola virus in 2014 and the push for the Paris agreement on climate change in 2016. Especially when the world is facing climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues that affect the common destiny of the human race, China and the United States working together will make historic contributions to the promotion of global peace and development.

Some lament that today’s U.S.-China relations “can’t go back,” and that the relationship in 2021 will indeed be different than in the past. The world is evolving and China and the United States cannot and should not go back to the past, but should open up the future and establish a new vision for the world of today and tomorrow. As Xi has said, China and the United States will have different views on some issues; the key is mutual respect, treating each other as equals and properly managing and dealing with issues in a constructive manner.

In Chinese culture, New Year’s Eve is a traditional time for “saying farewell to the old and welcoming the new.” The U.S.-China relationship has also reached a similarly important juncture. Hopefully, this New Year’s Eve call between the two heads of state will be a good start to “saying farewell to the old and welcoming the new” in U.S.-China relations.