Opinion | US-China relations: despite the discord in Singapore, high-level talks in Beijing offer hope

The United States and China engaged in a robust verbal duel at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore this month under the aegis of the International Institute of Strategic Studies. As in recent years, the defence ministers of the two nations held each other culpable for endangering regional peace and stability.

This year, sharp words were again exchanged and stern proclamations issued. It seemed that the warning lights were flashing given the provocative military manoeuvres which brought US and Chinese naval ships and military aircraft dangerously close to collisions in and above the South China Sea in the run-up to the event.

However, even as the curtain came down on the Singapore deliberations, the US and China were engaged in high-level bilateral talks in Beijing on Monday. A day later, both sides issued brief statements where the choice of key words and phrases was similar. In diplomatic-speak, where two adversaries are the interlocutors, such semantic overlap is deemed reasonably positive. This is to be welcomed against the rancour that was visible in Singapore.

The meeting in Beijing was held between US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu. After the talks, the US statement said there were “candid and productive discussions as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and build on recent high-level diplomacy between the two countries”.

The speeches of the two defence ministers at the Shangri-La Dialogue provide some insights into how the US and China are trying to project and protect their respective positions on the core issues being contested – namely, Taiwan and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.