With the election over, US and Chinese leaders should get back to business
Patrick Ho says the two countries must move beyond the inflammatory talk in the US, scapegoating China, to focus on building a relationship based on common goals and mutual gain
When I think about the relations of our two countries, China and America, I am reminded of the words of African American writer Audre Lorde. “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognise, accept, and celebrate those differences.” We do have our differences. Chinese leaders are most concerned with keeping the United States from challenging their country’s sovereignty and legitimacy under the present leadership. The US, however, sees the relationship mainly in terms of the challenge that China poses to the international order, which America leads and dictates.
How the China-US relationship evolved, and why it still matters
In fact, Chinese leaders and officials have reaffirmed that China will always be a participant, a facilitator and a contributor in the existing international order from which it has benefited.
China has benefited greatly from being a part of the international order and the global marketplace. China, an emerging economy, is asking to be treated and respected as an equal, and for the United States to respect its differences – just as any developing country does. We respect America’s traditional presence and legitimate interests in the Asia-Pacific region as we maintain and defend our legitimate rights in our own region.
The constant gardener: why the US needs to stick to its time-tested role in Asia
However, China’s action has always been interpreted as being aggressive in the South China Sea and trying to drive the US out of the Western Pacific. And the White House has been urged to take more open, higher-pitched, and more targeted comprehensive measures to “counter” the so-called “Chinese moves to change the status quo”.
We all know from experience that scapegoating China has been inevitable in an election year. Now we hope that the new administration, once in the White House, will be more realistic on its China policy, which should be determined by our shared interests, not by populist sentiments.
Working with China can make the United States great again
China pursues an independent foreign policy of peace and supports the idea that global issues should be decided by all nations in the world, rather than one or two countries. Nevertheless, there is a broad recognition that a good and stable relationship between China and the US does not just benefit both nations but the whole planet. Indeed, both countries are encountering similar global challenges: climate change, epidemics, natural disasters, terrorism, poverty, energy security, food security, financial instability, and so on.
