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US-China relations
This Week in AsiaOpinion
Douglas H. Paal
Douglas H. Paal

Opinion | Washington needs time to repair Trump’s damage. The US-China talks and its stance on Taiwan have bought just that

  • Biden’s team wants to sound tough on Taiwan, but not push Beijing over the edge by abandoning the one-China policy
  • Keeping the peace will give the US time to deal with the pandemic, right social wrongs, and restore competitiveness at home

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Chinese and American flags flutter outside the building of a US company in Beijing. Photo: Reuters
Douglas H. Paal
Global media had a rare treat on March 18-19, watching the top diplomats from China and the United States depart from normal diplo-speak and score points off each other in Anchorage, Alaska. Accusing each other of violating protocol and etiquette, they squared off over perceived signs of disrespect, hegemonic behaviour, interference in internal affairs, and more.
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But when the cameras were gone and the diplomats had boarded their planes, their meetings – the public session, plus three private sessions – were described as “a high-level strategic dialogue that both sides believe was timely and helpful and deepened mutual understanding”.

What gives? Fans of professional wrestling might recognise the process: “I will pretend that you beat me to a pulp, if you pretend that I took you within an inch of your life.” Both their audiences will be happy. In today’s terms, China has shown itself as standing up to American bullying at long last, and Washington will show it is not going to take Beijing’s aggression and cheating any more. The media and commentators in both countries ate it up.

So, was it all just a show for home consumption? No, some serious business got done. As China’s Xinhua news service summarised, without being disputed by the US, both sides agreed to follow the spirit of the February 11 telephone call between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden to “maintain dialogue and communication, conduct mutually beneficial cooperation, avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment, forestall conflict and confrontation, and promote sound and steady development of China-US relations”.
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Among others, Xinhua added, both sides expressed the hope for more such high-level strategic communication; agreed to establish a joint working group on climate change; and facilitate diplomatic and consular activities as well as adjust travel and visa policies according to the Covid-19 situation.

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