China Briefing | Tough rhetoric at the US-China talks sets the tone for future ties: clashing as a rival, and working as a partner
- While acrimony and accusations dominated the media coverage, Beijing and Washington were able to lay down markers and understand each other’s bottom lines
- Though sanctions related to Xinjiang followed the meeting, China’s best defence is to lay the groundwork for more foreign investment
While the fireworks may be unusual and undiplomatic for the world’s two most powerful countries – particularly as they are looking for ways to reset their fraught ties – they should hardly come as a big surprise.
In fact, what transpired has helped set the tone of their relationship, and brought more clarity to what it will be like in the future: Beijing and Washington will most likely see more intense confrontation over values and rules, but they will also seek dialogue and cooperation on other bilateral and geopolitical issues that are in their best interests.
Of course, the tricky part is how to walk the fine line between simultaneously clashing as a rival and working together as a partner.
In that sense, the two-day meeting in Alaska turned out much better than the way it was reported by international media, as both sides were able to air their grievances, lay down markers and get a better understanding of each other’s bottom lines.
Media coverage and public discussions focused on the opening remarks, which were originally scheduled for eight minutes but turned into fiery exchanges that lasted about an hour. However, the closed-door meetings that lasted many more hours and actually covered a wider range of bilateral and geopolitical issues received scant public attention.