Treading a tightrope: Ambassador navigates rivalry, advocating for US-China Relationship / cooperation.
US ambassador to China said on Friday, a month after President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to stabilize US-China relations will be defined by strategic competition in the decades century, but it must involve engagement where the two countries’ interests align their stressful relationships.
Nicholas Burns says that the United States and China “compete for global power as well as regional power” as they compete militarily, politically, and economically.
I think we are systemic adversaries, when you think about our national security and our economic and political interests around the world,” Burns told the Brookings Institution, a research based think tank in Washington.
However, the two countries must work together on “No sane person wants this relationship to end in conflict or war,” he said.
“So we will develop a relationship in which we can compete, but, as the president said, compete responsibly, reduce the potential for conflict and bring people together in a balanced relationship is one way to do that.
” Washington is recalibrating its relationship with Beijing after years of turmoil that began with the imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods under the Trump administration. Relations have worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and military tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
Last month, Biden met with Xi in Woodside, California, on the side-lines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The two leaders pledged to stabilize relations and agreed to combat illegal fentanyl and restore military contacts. But differences over economic competition and global security remain.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the US-China Business Council on Thursday night that the Biden administration is looking to strengthen ties with like-minded countries, but has also established economic working groups with China to exchange information.
The Biden administration has maintained tariffs imposed by the previous administration on some Chinese products, while strengthening export controls and investment in high-tech sectors such as advanced chips.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a letter to the business council, calling on the group and its members to “build more bridges for friendly exchanges” and expand cooperation. He is committed to creating a better business environment in China.
