China's Vice President Recognizes 'Encouraging Signs' in Relations with the United States

08 Nov, 2023

China's Vice President Recognizes 'Encouraging Signs' in Relations with the United States

Recent high-level meetings have contributed to the enhancement of the China-US relationship, according to a senior Beijing official's remarks ahead of the expected meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden next week.

Vice President Han Zheng, speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, emphasized that these sitdowns have conveyed positive signals and heightened international hopes for the improvement of China-US relations. In recent months, both nations have hosted visits from high-ranking officials, promoting dialogue and cooperation.

Han communicated, "A consistent and sound China-US relationship is the ordinary supposition for all region in our two countries and the worldwide neighborhood on the whole. We're prepared to fortify correspondence and exchange with the US at all levels."

These comments underscore the recent progress in relations between the two nations, despite previous tensions over issues such as Taiwan, technology transfers, and alleged espionage. The upcoming meeting between Xi and Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco is seen as a step towards stabilizing relations.

In addition to diplomatic talks, Xi is also scheduled to dine with top US business executives during his trip. This move reflects China's desire to improve its relationship with the United States, as Western executives operating in China have faced various challenges, including geopolitical tensions, an economic slowdown, and employee detentions. Both countries now have incentives to reduce these challenges, with Biden seeking stability for an upcoming election and China aiming to attract more foreign investment to stimulate its economy.

In his address, Han called for the US and China to coexist harmoniously, stating that "the world is big enough for the two countries to develop themselves and prosper together." He reiterated China's opposition to the idea of erecting barriers between nations and embracing "decoupling," asserting that such actions would fragment the global economy.

High-level meetings have been a significant feature of recent diplomacy between the US and China. Starting in June, the US dispatched at least four cabinet-level officials to Beijing, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Washington in late October. These interactions facilitated discussions on various points of contention.

Notably, the two nations held their first talks on maritime issues last week, a topic of increasing concern due to mutual accusations of military provocations in the South China Sea. Discussions on arms control and nonproliferation issues also took place in Washington, an unusual topic for such dialogues and one that underscores growing US apprehensions over China's nuclear arsenal.

Furthermore, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is seeking to meet with his Chinese counterpart in an effort to resume top military-to-military meetings. This initiative comes after China had cut off such meetings in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August 2022. Austin formally requested this meeting, even though China has not yet named a replacement for its ousted defense minister Li Shangfu. The US and China continue to navigate complex diplomatic terrain as they strive to maintain dialogue and cooperation in a changing global landscape.