Anti-China rhetoric in US campaign could hurt ‘new window of opportunity’ to improve ties: analysts
- Panellists at the Asia Future Summit in Singapore call on both China and the US to work towards mutual understanding of each other’s political constraints
- Improving how people in both countries view each other is also key to averting ‘catastrophic’ consequences of the US-China rivalry going sour, they add
A rise in anti-China rhetoric ahead of the 2024 US presidential election could affect the “new window of opportunity” for improved ties between the two superpowers, but both Beijing and Washington can take a more “pragmatic approach” to ease tensions and build trust, said analysts at a foreign policy forum in Singapore.
“If history can tell us anything, it’s that whenever you have a presidential election [in the United States], the candidates will compete on getting tough on China,” Jia Qingguo, the former dean of Peking University’s international relations school, said on Wednesday at the Asia Future Summit in Singapore.
The two-day forum, which explores Asia’s role in a fast-changing geopolitical and economic landscape, features heavyweight observers of US-China relations. It is organised by Singapore newspapers The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and The Business Times.
Jia was speaking alongside two others – Singapore’s ambassador-at-large Chan Heng Chee and veteran US diplomat Jon Huntsman – at a panel where they tackled questions about US-China tensions, deteriorating military relations and the factors hampering stable ties.
A brief “window of opportunity” had opened up as Beijing stepped up efforts to revitalise its economy, said Jia, who is also a delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – Beijing’s top political advisory body.
“To do that, you need to do things both at home and overseas,” he said, noting that this could “help us understand” why there had been more meetings and engagements between Chinese and US officials in recent months.
This was unlikely to last, however, given that the relationship remained fragile as seen from events such as the “spy balloon saga” that reignited tensions, he added.