US President Joe Biden?’s remarks he made last Sunday, predicting an imminent improvement in relationship with China paved the way for rapprochement between the world?’s biggest economies.
Senior officials at the administration insist Washington wanted to keep lines of communications open with Beijing in order to address thorny issues.
Rapprochement between the US and China will definitely have huge economic and political impacts bilaterally and globally. This will include many files like Taiwan, the Indian and Pacific oceans, Ukraine, Russia, Africa and the Middle East – where both countries have interests.
Biden?’s statement following the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, that relations with China were cold because of what he described as the silly balloon incident, in reference to the Chinese alleged spying balloon spotted in US skies last February. The incident triggered cancellation of Secretary of State Antony Blinker?’s visit to China.
However, the balloon dispute took place amidst two major events that triggered China?’s outrage despite Washington?’s emphasis they did not contradict with the one-China policy. Beijing was angry when former US House of Representative speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year and current speaker Kevin McCarthy received Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen while on transit in California.
Economically, China banned US chip-maker Micron Technology from conducting domestic projects because of what Beijing labelled as security concerns. The US expressed “serious concerns” and considered China?’s ban inconsistent with Beijing?’s assurance that it was open to businesses and committed to a transparent regime.
That did not discourage both sides from adopting steps towards each other.
Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao began a visit to the US last Thursday and would be meeting his counterpart Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
There are, moreover, preparations for possible visits by US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen and Raymond to China.
It came a week after Wang met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Vienna, Austria, where both men held “candid and objective” discussions over bilateral issues, global and regional security matters like the conflict in Ukraine and Taiwan Strait.
The White House said these activities – are part of ongoing efforts to keep lines of communications open – and manage the competition in a responsible manner, following a meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali, Indonesia, last November.
However, the US remains committed to its national defense strategy.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategies, Plans and Capabilities Mara Carlin said, last Wednesday, that Washington should strengthen its deterrence with China which was the only party with – intention and growing capability to challenge the US in a system way – in the military, economic, technological and diplomatic domains.
The recent political and economic breakthrough may mend US-China relations, but it may also be early to judge how these ties will evolve.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
