Just months into U.S. President Donald Trump's second term, tensions between the world's two largest economies have already risen, with the U.S. imposing a 25-percent additional tariff on all Chinese imports, and China responding with a 15-percent tariff on U.S. farm goods.

In early March, during the Two Sessions, China's major annual political event, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the U.S. to reassess the impact of its trade policies, indicating the country has incurred more losses than gains from the tariffs and trade wars in recent years.

However, bilateral relations have not completely disintegrated. Since late March, China has initiated a series of diplomatic and people-to-people exchanges. A U.S. congressional member and American business leaders visited Beijing, engaging in discussions with senior Chinese officials overseeing government, diplomacy and commerce. Additionally, think tanks from both countries held talks on the future of bilateral relations.

Experts in international relations view these visits and interactions as positive steps toward stabilizing ties.

Intensive diplomacy

Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for dialogue and cooperation with the U.S. during his meeting with U.S. Senator Steve Daines in Beijing on March 23. He emphasized economic and trade ties were fundamental to China-U.S. relations.

Li told the Republican senator that China-U.S. relations had reached a "new and significant juncture," and urged the U.S. to adhere to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and cooperation. He also called for candid communication to deepen trust and practical cooperation and to promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of mutual relations.

"No one wins in a trade war. No country can achieve development and prosperity by imposing tariffs," Li said, adding that China "always welcomes" companies from all countries including the U.S.

Daines, who was accompanied by the chief executives of top U.S. firms including FedEx, Qualcomm, Pfizer and Boeing, noted U.S. firms had played an active part in China's development and were willing to continue investing in China while strengthening dialogue and cooperation.

A news report by the Associated Press described Daines as "a strong supporter" of Trump and said his visit came as the U.S. and China "swap tariff threats" and with the dispute over fentanyl continuing.

The report also mentioned that Daines previously worked as an executive for U.S. companies in China and served as a go-between during Trump's first term in office, when tariffs were also a major issue. He was the first member of Congress to visit Beijing since Trump took office in January.

Daines' meeting with Li followed the opening of the China Development Forum. A day prior to Li-Daines meeting, the Republican lawmaker met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. Additionally, Daines met with Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu.

"Such visits and interactions are positive. It is hoped that such engagement would have a positive impact on stabilizing bilateral ties," Diao Daming, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, told Global Times newspaper.

Jake Werner, Director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute, said he believes there is an opportunity for "some kind of agreement between the U.S. and China," but because of the unstable relationship, "it is hard to have the trust that you need to come up with an agreement."

He pointed out while China has been reaching out to understand the U.S. position, the U.S. has struggled to articulate its goals to ongoing political turmoil.

"It's important to be patient. It's important to be restrained, to not be overly aggressive and not push back too hard. And then I think maybe there's a possibility that we could end up in negotiations that could lead to some kind of agreement," he told Beijing Review.

People-to-people exchange

Exchanges also took place at the civic level, with several dialogues between think tanks from China and the United States.

Speaking at the Dialogue Between China-U.S. Think Tanks in Beijing on March 24, Yu Yunquan, Vice President of China International Communications Group and President of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, emphasized the importance of a stable China-U.S. relationship.

Yu Yunquan (center), Vice President of China International Communications Group and President of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, speaks at the Dialogue Between China-U.S. Think Tanks in Beijing on March 24 (CICG)

He noted that it is not only vital to the interests of both nations but also to the future of humanity. The event, themed The Future of China-U.S. Relations and Implications for Global Stability and Development, brought together experts from both sides.

"How Beijing and Washington develop their relationship is crucial to the future of the world order and is under close watch from the international community," he told Beijing Review.

Yu said the dialogue "aims to provide a platform for genuine communication and mutual understanding between experts and scholars from China and U.S. policy study circles."

"We also would like to make it a megaphone for objective and rational voices," Yu said, noting participants from both sides believe that the two countries share broad common interests and have ample space for cooperation.

Werner shared a similar point after the event when talking to Beijing Review. He stressed the likenesses between the two countries—both are dynamic and innovative, share interests in global economic stability and growth, and face similar domestic challenges such as high inequality and intense competition for ordinary people.

"They feel insecure and unstable," he said. But instead of letting this insecurity fuel hostility, which is more common today than ever, Werner called for greater empathy and an understanding that "for me to be secure, other people have to be secure, too," otherwise conflict is the alternative. "Many structural problems in the global economy are only going to be addressed if the two countries can work with other countries around the world," he added.

Ups and downs in bilateral relations continue to fluctuate. Yu observed that the new U.S. administration has introduced multiple new policies, and "uncertainties in China-U.S. relations have increased."

In late March, the chair of a U.S. House committee sent letters to six American universities, including Stanford and Carnegie Mellon, requesting information about Chinese students over "national security concerns." The U.S. also added dozens of Chinese entities to its export control list, claiming that these entities "acquire or attempt to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of supercomputer projects for the Chinese Government and/or military." Additionally, both countries released reports on perceived threats from each other's intelligence agencies.

In a video address to the Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations, held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on March 22, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng emphasized that peaceful coexistence is a historical trend for the two countries. He told the forum both sides need to recognize that "win-win cooperation is the essential feature of China-U.S. relations," and that "equal-footed dialogue is the only right way forward."

Xie also rejected the pursuit of a zero-sum game, stating that "shutting the Chinese market and businesses out would be shutting out opportunities."

Understanding China as a real place with millions of people, rather than just a symbol, is crucial, according to Werner.

In his view, the best way to break misconceptions is through direct interaction—visiting the country, building relationships and humanizing one another. Such exchanges create individuals with the expertise needed to bridge the gap between nations.

"The more we can encourage people from each country to visit the other and get to know people on both sides, the better," he concluded.

(Print Edition Title: Can Dialogue Trump Difference?)

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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