Opinion | America and China must build mutual respect if they are to engage effectively
By Augustus K. Yeung
Introduction
After Joe Biden was elected and sworn in as the US president, the first official high-level contact between Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi and their team in Alaska was off to a bad start, beginning with something like a shouting match, although the American team could have been deliberately doing it to appease the former U.S. President Donald Trump and his belligerent supporters who are still in a combative mood long after the lost election.
Characteristically, there was a general lack of "respect" on the part of the US team, which provoked its Chinese counterpart to respond aggressively and undiplomatically, much to the world's disappointment.
And US and China bilateral relations have not been on even keel since that meeting, which was more dramaturgical at best than being cordial. With the Secretary of State himself, looking stern or even hostile to the Chinese officials.
Fortunately, the US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's visit to Tianjin, China, coupled with the hours-long virtual summit between the US President and President Xi Jinping of China were two rare encouraging occasions when there were signs of "mutual respect" being seen on the TV screen.
The US and China Must Build Mutual Respect
"A former senior Washington official said the United States and China must build mutual respect if they are to engage effectively," writes Ben Zhao, reporting for the Post. ("BOTH NATIONS SEEKING RESPECT, FORMER U.S. STATE OFFICIAL SAYS". South China Morning Post. Saturday, January 1, 2022.)
"We can't really fix the high-level relationship until we get over these basic issues of trust and understanding," David Stilwell, who stepped down as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs earlier this year, told a recent East-West Centre China Seminar talk.
He said that when two countries engaged, their differences could appear less stark.
"We actually have some things in common and that becomes the basis for further negotiations. This is the essence of diplomacy.
Mutual Respect as the Essence of Diplomacy
Stilwell argued that both China and the US were seeking "respect" but in different ways—China needed the US to respect its system of governance, while the US wanted Beijing to respect global rules and norms.
"So we have got the same word, 'respect', touching on different issues, but to me this is an area where we can open a conversation," he said.
He said it was essential for policymakers to understand the serious differences in how the two sides viewed engagement. He argued that Americans were too quick to make early concessions to demonstrate good faith in the hope of concluding negotiations quickly, while the Chinese waited for the best opportunity for engagement.
The Two Presidents Showed Patience and Respect
Instead, he said it was essential that the US showed patience, set measurable objectives and demanded serious engagement.
"If you are having talks but you're not getting at the issues, those issues continue to fester and get worse while people believe they're being addressed—and that can lead to a bad outcome."
In a video call between the two heads of state in November, US President Joe Biden noted that it was the responsibility of the US and Chinese heads of state to ensure that their rivalry did not degenerate into open conflict.
President Xi Jinping expressed his hope that the two countries could move in the same direction and avoid collision.
China was Testing the US and See What it Could Exchange
Stilwell also believed that China was testing America's appetite for engagement to determine what it could extract.
He gave the example of US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry's last visit to China, ostensibly for face-to-face meetings with senior officials in Beijing. Instead, the sessions were conducted via video conferencing and Kerry did not reach the capital.
"It's not necessarily meant as a poke in the eye or that they don't value the relationship [but] they are testing us to see how much we want to give and what we can accept," Stilwell said.
Since Biden entered the White House there have been several rounds of high-level talks, including two phone calls between the US president and Xi.
US Officials Didn't Have Historical Background and Experience
Stilwell also warned that US officials assigned to talk to China did not have sufficient historical background and experience, adding: "If we're going to fix one thing in all, it's the frequent turnover."
At the same time, their Chinese counterparts "do it for a career", citing Cui Tiankai, the longest-serving Chinese ambassador to the US from 2013 to 2021. ("BOTH NATIONS SEEKING RESPECT, FORMER U.S. STATE OFFICIAL SAYS". South China Morning Post. Saturday, January 1, 2022.)
Conclusion
The United States could capitalize on Stilwell's valuable experience and critical points of view to enhance cordial diplomatic relations between China and the United States: The US high-level officials do not have the essential experience that the Canadian diplomats have in dealing with their Chinese counterparts.
This could have been the result of US political and party structure: In the United States, the ambassadors are mostly hand-picked and assigned not by the foreign service or the ministry of foreign affairs. Instead, they may be opportunities to reward major donors who have financially supported the incumbent president. It's a way to pay back. For example, Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late US President John F. Kennedy, was appointed as the US ambassador to Tokyo, Japan not on account of her own diplomatic strength.
Whereas in China, the officials in the foreign service are almost always career diplomats, who have practically spent their lifetime on their professional diplomatic assignments.
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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