Why China-U.S. communication matters for the world

Editor's note: China's diplomacy has been in full swing this year after the country resumed exchanges with the world in an orderly manner. Since the start of the year, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been on a tight diplomatic schedule. What is the significance of Xi's diplomacy? How does it influence the global landscape? Chinese Diplomacy in Action is a five-part series exploring the effectiveness of China's diplomatic activities in the past year. The fifth essay is on the Xi-Biden meeting.

A photo taken in 1985 has grabbed headlines this November. In this photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his early 30s, posed by the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on his maiden trip to the United States. "You haven't changed a bit!" U.S. President Joe Biden said with a chuckle during his San Francisco meeting with President Xi.

Xi-Biden meeting is one of the most important diplomatic events in 2023, given the significance of the relationship between the world's largest two economies.

Sincerity to cooperate

Despite geopolitical and ideological differences, communication is vital between major powers. During their meeting, President Xi and Biden exchanged views on the two countries' respective bottom lines. It was quite helpful in understanding each other's intentions – a prerequisite to reach a consensus.

China and the U.S. reached consensus on more than 20 issues following the Xi-Biden meeting that is aimed at building trust, dispelling doubts, and expanding cooperation. This demonstrates that both countries have the will to manage differences.

President Xi has shown his utmost sincerity in deepening exchanges and consolidating cooperation. "Win-win cooperation is the trend of the times, and it is also an inherent property of China-U.S. relations," President Xi emphasized in his speech at the welcoming dinner by friendly organizations in the United States.

While China and the U.S. have different stances on certain issues, avoiding conflicts is in the common interests of both countries. It is against this backdrop that Beijing and Washington resumed military talks. Straightforward, clear, and open bilateral talks including the China-U.S. Defense Policy Coordination Talks, the China-U.S. Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings, and telephone conversations between theater commanders can, to a large degree, reduce the risks of miscalculations and misunderstandings.

For instance, at the request of Washington, Liu Zhenli, a Central Military Commission (CMC) member and the chief of the CMS's Joint Staff Department, held a video teleconference with CQ Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States in December. The Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue that have raised the risks of hot conflicts in the region were leading the agenda. Such talks can tremendously ease tensions and reduce the risks of miscalculations.

In addition, China and the U.S. agreed to deepen negotiations on Asia-Pacific matters, maritime, arms control, diplomacy, artificial intelligence, and a slew of other issues. This means new opportunities for China and the United States.

Warm China-U.S. ties help on the way to world peace

Peace and development are the joint pursuits of the world. However, with tensions in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there are still lots of challenges to global security.

Strengthened cooperation between China and the U.S. can help address regional tensions via political means. China, for instance, has played an active mediatory role in easing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran and contributed to the Saudi-Iranian agreement clinched in 2023 to restore ties. Meanwhile, China has also been committed to a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis and Gaza conflicts.

According to The State of Southeast Asia 2023 survey report, "increased military tensions arising from potential flashpoints" and "U.S.-China decoupling" rank third and fifth respectively in the list of top challenges for Southeast Asia.

A warm China-U.S. relationship will create more favorable conditions for cooperation in other regions, thus reducing the risks of conflicts. Many countries across the world are happy to see deep cooperation between Beijing and Washington. "Cooperating with the United States on one side or with China on the other is not going to impede their relationship with the other side," Rorry Daniels, Managing Director of Asia Society Policy Institute and Senior Fellow at the Center for China Analysis said in an interview with CGTN. Xi-Biden meeting has further instilled in other countries confidence in regional peace and stability.

China-U.S. cooperation contributes to global governance

As the world's largest two economies, the U.S. and China shoulder their due responsibilities in global governance. Benign interactions between major powers can contribute to global security and stability.

According to the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper China published this year, major countries shoulder particularly important responsibilities of maintaining international peace and security. A slew of challenges including territorial disputes, climate change, and fair distribution require major powers to strengthen cooperation and negotiation.

China and the U.S. have more in common than differences in addressing global challenges. The Xi-Biden summit has covered a wide range of issues. This has demonstrated the two countries' will to shoulder their obligations for global issues.

The giant ship of China-U.S. relations has sailed through hidden reefs and rapids, and San Francisco is not a destination, but a new start for the Beijing-Washington relationship. To improve ties, both China and the U.S. should cherish the achievements of the Xi-Biden meeting. China has shown its utmost sincerity, but regrettably, the U.S., in recent days, has been provocative on the South China Sea issue and the Taiwan question.

No country in the world is happy to see conflicts between the world's major powers. Cherishing the outcomes of the Xi-Biden meeting and putting agreements into action is the prerequisite to a better China-U.S. relationship.

(Contributed by Zhu Chenge, an assistant researcher at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.)

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