President-elect Joe Biden should scrap President Trump’s policies toward China and “launch dialogues at all levels” with Beijing, according to a senior Chinese diplomat.
“China’s door for dialogue is open anytime,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the U.S.-China Business Council, according to a gloss carried by state media. “We hope and believe that the U.S. China-related policy will sooner or later return to objectivity and rationality.”
Wang’s comments amounted to a call for a “reset” in U.S.-China relations, according to observers. And he identified business relationships as the “fundamental propeller” of U.S.-China relations in the video conference with top American executives.
“Strategic researchers, business, and industry representatives are all encouraged to enhance dialogue and communication, pushing forward bilateral ties,” Wang suggested. “American businesses should play an active role in stabilizing a healthy relationship.”
The video conference reportedly was attended by senior officials from corporate giants such as General Motors, Visa, and FedEx.
“China’s top leadership continues to support engagement with business leaders from American industry during a year of heightened tensions,” U.S.-China Business Council Matt Margulies told CNBC. “This sends a necessary, positive signal to Chinese industry that, despite tensions, it’s OK for U.S. and Chinese companies to do business together.”
Biden is perceived as being unlikely to reverse the course set for U.S.-China policy. “Biden will not dare to show weakness or friendliness on the China issue,” Fudan University professor Wei Zongyou told the South China Morning Post. “We may have to wait until the second half of next year for any opportunities for an engagement or reset for China-U.S. relations.”
Trump’s team has predicted publicly that Biden will continue to “stand up to China” on an array of issues. Senior lawmakers in both parties have emphasized their agreement that the Chinese Communist Party stands as a hostile regime.
“Beijing’s infiltration of U.S. society has been deliberate and insidious as they use every instrument of influence available to accelerate their rise at America’s expense,” acting Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, said in a joint statement with Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the panel. “Unfortunately, the United States’s challenge with China is not unique as Beijing seeks to infiltrate and subvert other nations around the world, including our allies.”
That statement coincided with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s move to revoke visas for agents of Chinese Communist influence in the United States.
“The Chinese Communist Party has long sought to spread Marxist-Leninist ideology and exert its influence all over the world,” he said Friday. “These malign activities are intended to co-opt and coerce subnational leaders, overseas Chinese communities, academia, and other civil society groups both in the United States and other countries in furtherance of the CCP’s authoritarian narratives and policy preferences.”
The Chinese foreign minister complained about the “outdated Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices” of the current administration.
“Engaging in comprehensive containment against China, and even advocating for ‘decoupling’ and a ‘new Cold War,’ this is making a historical, directional, and strategic error,” he said.
