Opinion | US-China relations: how superpower cooperation in three areas can overcome Alaska acrimony
- Despite the fire and fury on display at their recent meeting, both sides have ample reason to explore a ‘grand bargain’
- They must address the trade and tech wars, rising military tensions and existential threats such as climate change and Covid-19
The much-anticipated meeting in Anchorage, Alaska between the scions of the Chinese and American foreign policy establishment exhibited a similar dynamic. As feared, both sides adopted fiery rhetoric in their opening session in front of the global media, reflecting the immense geopolitical gulf separating them.
For the United States, this was about reasserting its claim to global leadership amid rising anti-China sentiment at home. Meanwhile, China’s representatives made it clear they would not accept second place to their American counterparts amid rising nationalism at home.
Nonetheless, both superpowers have ample reason to explore a realistic “grand bargain” in the near future to avoid a devastating conflict as well as jointly address shared global concerns – from the Covid-19 pandemic to climate change.
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Gloves off at top-level US-China summit in Alaska with on-camera sparring
Following four years of disruptive geopolitics under the Trump administration, there were hopes for a reset in Sino-American relations under the new American leadership.
Beijing made clear it hoped the high-level exchange would help “get China-US relations back on track”. It’s telling that Beijing dispatched Politburo member Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign policy official and a former ambassador to Washington, as well as Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a top Asia hand and former ambassador to Japan.
For its part, the US chose Biden’s “alter ego”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as the golden boy of the Democratic Party establishment, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Instead of a smooth reset in bilateral relations, however, the acrimonious meeting revealed how rising geopolitical tensions are more structural than just a product of Donald Trump’s inept statesmanship.
During the meeting, even veteran diplomats couldn’t resist “wolf warrior” stunts and cold war-style posturing. Worryingly, top diplomats from both sides seemed to be playing as much to their domestic political audiences as to their global allies.
No wonder both sides struggled to even agree on a joint statement following several closed-door sessions and lengthy meetings, which extended beyond the original schedule. In many ways, we are grappling with an undeclared “new cold war” between the US and China.
The meeting in Alaska, however, only reinforces the importance of institutionalised management of Sino-American tensions and the need for a reasonable and mutually acceptable grand bargain. There are three main areas where the two superpowers have sufficient room for cooperation and reciprocal compromise.
