What is the purpose of interaction between China and the United States? Both sides have completely different views on this matter. Beijing strives to develop relations with Washington on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit, with the key point being the ‘win-win’ principle. Americans think completely differently. The Biden administration has made clear that it wants to “compete with China to win” and intends to win alone. That is why the US views China as its main strategic rival, and its Chinese policy is also based on competition.
Since the beginning of the Donald Trump era, relations between the two countries have entered a turbulent process, full of intense friction and conflict. Managing this process is a completely new challenge for both Beijing and Washington.
First, it is important to manage disagreements so that they do not lead to confrontation and conflict. Over the past few years, relations between China and the United States have been subject to serious turmoil due to a failure to properly resolve differences. In this regard, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted at a meeting in San Francisco that both sides should work together to effectively resolve differences, understand each other’s basic principles, refrain from provocations, inciting quarrels and crossing boundaries, calmly resolve differences and incidents through expansion communication, dialogue and discussion. The US side also expressed the need to maintain an open and frank dialogue with China in order to improve mutual understanding, avoid misunderstandings and properly deal with friction.
Secondly, it is necessary to expand cooperation. Since the United States put competition at the forefront of its China policy, it has faded into the background of both powers’ agendas. For some time, it became politically incorrect to talk about cooperation with Beijing in Washington. However, without a substantive partnership program between the two countries, it will be difficult to achieve stability in relations. China has always emphasized the need to make the cooperation pie larger. At the meeting in San Francisco, President Xi once again emphasized the need to work together to develop a mutually beneficial partnership, and President Biden noted that cooperation in areas of mutual interest will help the two countries better address their own and common challenges.
Thirdly, we need to increase our sense of responsibility. As two major powers with significant influence on world affairs, China and the United States should conduct bilateral relations not only with an interest in improving the well-being of their countries, but also with a responsibility to contribute to the development of the international community.
The strategic game between China and the US is long-term and complex, but also flexible. We must not only be psychologically prepared for the long-term and complex nature of the game, but also take into account its variability. And our main task is to determine the boundaries of the Chinese-American game, to shape the environment and approaches to this game.
It is currently unfolding in all directions, concentrating on three main areas – trade, science and technology, diplomacy and security, and both sides are playing a fierce game, but its boundaries are not yet clear.
For example, in the areas of trade and science and technology, the United States is actively promoting the idea of separation and securitization, but at the same time it is increasingly clear that complete separation is impossible and that it will not be able to achieve comprehensive securitization.
So where are the boundaries of division in the areas of trade, industrial chains, raw materials, science and technology, and what are the limits of securitization? In the diplomatic sphere, the United States seeks to contain the expansion of China’s global influence and at the same time recognizes the need to cooperate with it on global and international issues. So how can this diplomatic competition leave room for cooperation?
In the security sphere, America is strengthening its blockade and containment of China, but at the same time does not want a direct military conflict with it. Then, how to detect the right degree of pressure on China and not cross the line of open confrontation?