China-US relations are the most important bilateral relations of the 21st century, because they impact the well-being of the people of the two countries and will help shape the world's future. And the future of China-US relations could be influenced by the new US president.
While the world faces a plethora of challenges, including geopolitical conflicts, faltering economic recovery, AI governance, global governance reform and climate change, the frictions between major powers have intensified. To overcome these challenges, the world needs global stability and cooperation, especially cooperation between China and the United States.
China and the US worked together on the principle of mutual benefit and mutual respect for four decades since establishing diplomatic ties on Jan 1, 1979. In 2001, China and the US agreed to work together to counter global terrorism. In 2008, the two sides joined hands to deal with the global financial crisis and develop a new pattern of global economic governance. In 2015, they jointly helped finalize the Paris Agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, thereby strengthening the global fight against climate change.
But the tariff war between China and the US since 2018, and the three-year COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, dealt blows to bilateral relations, as well as the global economy. But before the world could recover from the impacts of the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022, followed by the Israel-Palestine conflict in October last year. Not to mention that global growth remains weak and climate governance stagnant.
No country can be immune to the consequences of global issues, and no country can overcome all the challenges alone. Global cooperation, especially cooperation between China and the US, is needed to address all these challenges.
The campaign for the just-concluded presidential election showed that the American people are still most concerned about domestic issues such as the economy, healthcare, immigration, crime and drug trafficking. But the US needs China's cooperation to address the fentanyl drug problem. Fentanyl, a powerful opioid narcotic analgesic, was developed to be used in its citrate form to treat chronic pain, before, during and after surgery.
But due to its high addictiveness, some people in the US have been using it as a drug. Drug abuse has become a major cause of accidental deaths in the US, with the abuse of opioids such as fentanyl being especially dangerous.
China is a pioneer in global drug control and the first country to formally list fentanyl and all fentanyl-like substances as narcotics. As such, the US can address the fentanyl problem in the country only by working with China to strengthen regulation on opioids.
Since the beginning of this year, China and the US have gradually resumed high-level exchanges and communication at all levels. The two sides have continued to cooperate in areas such as drug control, law enforcement and repatriation of illegal immigrants and fugitives, climate change and AI. So the new US administration needs to deepen cooperation with China to address some of its domestic problems.
In recent years, the US strategic community has started debating the country's "China policy" and China-US relations during the presidential campaign. And a debate on an issue means the issue is controversial, ambiguous and potentially dangerous.
Though in past years being tough on China and checking China's rise seem to have become the favorite pursuit of the US administration, the Congress and strategic circles, there are some rational voices in the US. For example, Rush Doshi, former director of China Affairs, affiliated with the National Security Council, said that a direct conflict with China is not advisable, and the US should reduce the risk of tensions escalating into a war through "managed competition".
And Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that being obsessed with the thought of confronting China has undermined the US' global leadership. And political scientists such as Jessica Chen Weiss and James Steinberg have said China and the US should not be locked in a zero-sum game, because cooperation between them is key to addressing bilateral and global issues.
It is clear therefore that the US' China policy is not set in stone, and its adjustment from time to time reflects the US strategic community's recognition of the importance of China-US relations.
China's policy toward the US has always been clear, as China has always preferred dialogue and cooperation over zero-sum games. The success and achievements of China and the US are beneficial, rather than a challenge, for both sides. So the new US president should attach greater importance to China-US relations and engage in win-win cooperation.
The author is director of Institute of World Political Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.
