US and China both looking for respect, says former assistant secretary of state David Stilwell

The former official tells a seminar that both sides need to overcome basic problems such as trust and understanding to make progress
Stilwell warns that the American side has sometimes been too quick to make concessions while the Chinese wait for an opportunity

US-China relations

Zhao Ziwen

Published: 8:00pm, 31 Dec 2021

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A former senior Washington official has said the United States and China must build mutual respect if they are to engage effectively.

“We can’t really fix the high-level relationship until we get over these basic issues of trust and understanding [between the two countries],” David Stilwell, who stepped down as assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs earlier this year, told a recent East-West Centre China Seminar talk.

He added that when two countries engage, their differences can appear less stark. “We actually have some things in common and that becomes the basis for further negotiations. This is the essence of diplomacy.”

Stilwell argued that both China and the US are seeking “respect” but in different ways – China needs the US to respect its system of governance while the US wants Beijing to respect global rules and norms.

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“So we have got the same word, ‘respect’, touching on different issues, but to me this is an area where we can open a conversation,” he said.

The former diplomat said it is essential for policymakers to understand the serious differences in how the two sides view engagement.

He argued that Americans are too quick to make early concessions to demonstrate good faith in the hope of concluding negotiations quickly, while the Chinese wait for the best opportunity for engagement.

Instead, he said it is essential that the US shows patience, sets measurable objectives and demands serious engagement.

“If you’re having talks but you’re not getting at the issues, those issues continue to fester and get worse while people believe they’re being addressed – and that can lead to a bad outcome.”

But the former diplomat also believes that China is testing America’s appetite for engagement to determine what it can extract.

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He gave the example of US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry’s last visit to China, ostensibly for face-to-face meetings with senior officials in Beijing. Instead the sessions were conducted via video conferencing and Kerry did not reach the capital.

“It’s not necessarily meant as a poke in the eye or that they don’t value the relationship [but] they are testing us to see how much we want to give and what we can accept,” Stilwell said.

Since Joe Biden entered the White House in early 2021, there have been several rounds of high-level talks between the two countries, including two phone conversations between Biden and Xi Jinping.

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Stilwell also warned that US officials assigned to talk with China often do not have sufficient historical background and experience, adding: “If we’re going to fix one thing in all, it’s the frequent turnover.”

At the same time, their Chinese counterparts “do it for a career”, citing Cui Tiankai, the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to the US from 2013 to 2021.