Sino-US thaw

They have agreed to disagree. The breakthrough between China and the US to scale down tensions and opt for a non-confrontational path is most welcome. The thaw has been realised after upping the stakes to umpteenth proportions over conflicting perceptions on Taiwan and Ukraine. The same had pushed the environment to the brink in their otherwise contested trade war. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to Beijing was magnanimously responded by granting an audience with President Xi Jinping, which highlighted the level of importance in their checkered relations.

The somber handshake in the Great Peoples’ Hall, usually reserved for heads of state, is a great beginning, especially as it underscored the importance of having a more stable interaction. The realisation that any conflict between the world’s two largest economies would create global disruption must have come as a great comfort to the struggling world order. It is from here that both the countries should move on to do some patch-work and create a conducive environment for a composite dialogue.

The phenomenon of knee-jerk reactions as was exhibited during House Speaker’s unwarranted state visit to Taipei, and the stunt created on the sidelines of G20 summit in Bali must not be replicated. The US should understand that it has posted China as an adversary on every front, and the ensuing sanctions on China’s chip industry and concerns over human rights have obstructed meaningful progress. Perhaps, this is why Xi refused to entertain Blinken’s bid to resume military-to-military communication channels by citing an untoward posturing against it.

A lot of thinking is required at all fora of interaction as this bilateralism has a profound impact on world’s peace and security. Keeping open sea lanes, avoiding maritime disputes in the South China Sea, reaching a détente over Taiwan and finding a negotiated solution to the Ukraine war are a must to boost CBMs. The world economy cannot be saved from a renewed recession until and unless a common denominator is found by Beijing and Washington.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2023.

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