US-China relations: calls for Biden administration to rebuild ties and reset policy
- Chinese economist sees ‘partial recovery’ in the relationship and more cooperation under the new US leadership
- American business group warns of the damage that could be caused by a further escalation in trade tensions
“[Biden’s] policies will be about returning to multilateralism, returning to international organisations, and returning to the status of fighting without splitting,” Chen Wenling, chief economist at the China Centre for International Economic Exchange, a government-backed think tank, told a seminar in Beijing on Tuesday.
Chen, who is also an economist at the State Council Research Office, which advises on government policy, expected the new US administration to continue its containment policy towards China. But she said an establishment figure like Biden would be more predictable and pragmatic – and ties were likely to improve.
“There will be a partial recovery in Sino-US relations, and cooperation will be possible in areas like energy, the environment, global governance and coordination on international policies,” she said, adding that this would be essential to prevent a complete decoupling of the two economies that could lead to unprecedented conflict.
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