MNI EXCLUSIVE: Cautious Optimism On US Ties: China Advisors

China should seize on Joe Biden's initiatives to deal with the pandemic and climate change as opportunities to cooperate on shared interests and foster dialogue, said policy advisors who are cautiously optimistic that the bilateral relationship will improve to the extent allowed by differing ideologies and rising competition.

Although Biden is unlikely to address China-U.S. relations soon after taking office, China can offer to help with matters such as global vaccine distribution and efforts to drive climate change goals, they said.

"The U.S.-China relationship is like a derailed train now and we need to stop it first," said an advisor with an official think tank who declined to be identified.

Beijing cannot expect Washington to make a sharp U-turn on the China policies of the previous administration as it needs to review them and discuss with allies before taking action, said He Weiwen, a former economic and commercial counsellor at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco and New York who's now a senior researcher at China Center of Globalisation, a think tank.

Wang Huiyao, founder and president of CCG and an advisor to the State Council, sees the bilateral relationship improving after an adjustment period as both sides recognise the advantages of cooperation and manage their differences. While deep-rooted beliefs and growing competition will hinder any fundamental change, the relationship should settle at a "better than the Trump era" level, he said.

VACCINE HELP

According to a report from Wang's think tank, a three-way U.S.-China-EU summit should be established to fight the virus so that all three can pledge funds, goods and even people to help developing countries get vaccines. Such a trilateral mechanism can mend the U.S.-China relationship and facilitate consensus on international affairs.

The global climate change agenda, which has gained momentum with Biden's decision to return the U.S. to the Paris Agreement and Beijing's pledge to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, also requires coordination between the world's two largest emitters of carbon, CCG added.

"Think tanks and the business community in both countries should increase communication and promote lower-level inter-governmental dialogue," said He Weiwen. There were more than 130 platforms for dialogue between the two countries under the Barack Obama administration and a gradual revival of these would ensure attention to most bilateral issues, he added.

"To show good faith, China should in principle adhere to commitments made in the Phase One trade agreement," said Yu Yongding, a senior fellow of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Although personally I don't like quantity targets, a deal is a deal," he said, adding that Washington and Beijing could agree to either extend the deadline to fulfil the purchase target or reduce the value of purchases in accordance with the force majeure clause.