China ‘overly optimistic’ on relations with US, Beijing adviser says
- There may be signs of a thaw, but tensions won’t significantly ease in the foreseeable future, according to Shi Yinhong
- The international relations expert says the US won’t stop trying to contain China, especially its military and tech development
Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University and adviser to the State Council, China’s cabinet, said consensus would be hard to reach given the nations’ long-standing differences.
“The relationship between China and the US is now in a situation where tensions are still high but it is frozen or suspended there, compared with the past eight months, and it will not significantly ease in the foreseeable future,” Shi said at a book launch hosted by the Centre for China and Globalisation think tank in Beijing on Monday.
But while tensions may have stopped rising for now, Shi said US policy on China remained unchanged, pointing to a remark made by White House press secretary Jen Psaki last month that the nations were in a relationship of competition.
“China is a bit overly optimistic now,” he said. “Chinese people always have a short memory – if the US president so much as smiles or something, they get excited.”
Shi said the US would spare no effort to contain China, especially its military and technology development.
His remarks were echoed by Liu Weidong, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Liu, who did not speak at Monday’s event, agreed that “the overall trend hasn’t changed significantly” and said relations would need to improve before the nations’ leaders could hold talks.