US and China in state of ‘mutually tolerable friction’, but no end in sight for rivalry: Singapore forum
- While Biden has stabilised what had been an ‘effectively dysfunctional’ relationship, it could still turn over their polarised views on Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea
- Even so, both powers also have to find ways to work together on global challenges such as climate change and health, the observers said at a forum in Singapore
The United States and China seem to have retreated into a state of “mutually tolerable friction” but opposing positions on Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea could turn the tide, regional observers said at a forum in Singapore on Thursday.
“There has been a renewal of a certain sense of professionalism in how the relationship is conducted, if not necessarily a dramatic reduction in overall tensions,” he said.
Chiefly, the Biden administration adjusted its approach towards Beijing, cooling its rhetoric on containing China, which led to a virtual summit between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.
Both countries “appear to be settling into a zone of mutually tolerable friction” following the meeting, Hass said. “Barring an unforeseen event, I think that this is the general zone that both sides will stay in for the coming year.”
Hass, who served as director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia at the US National Security Council from 2013 to 2017, was speaking at a virtual discussion as part of an annual forum hosted by the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute.