As China and the U.S. engage in serious trade talks, a multi-pillar strategy grounded in stronger people-to-people exchanges and national security is key to building a more stable relationship, said a Chinese expert.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing, Wu Xinbo, professor and executive dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, emphasized the importance of adopting a multi-dimensional strategy for China-U.S. relations, calling for the development of pillars beyond trade and economic ties.
"So far, this relationship has been based on a single pillar, that's trade and economic relations. For China-U.S. relations, we need as many pillars as possible. For example, we need the national security teams from both sides to reconnect with each other. They should talk to each other and discuss issues of mutual interests. And also, we need to promote people-to-people exchanges, you know, to encourage two societies to engage with each other," he said. He highlighted the U.S.' evolving visa policies, pointing to the recent issuance of visas for Chinese students as a positive step that operates independently of high-level political decisions.
"On the visa issue, I mean, certainly the U.S. has already made some adjustments. I men, they keep changing the policy, right, from time to time? But, the latest information I got is that they began to issue visas to Chinese students who are going to study in the U.S. in the fall semester. So, this doesn't have to wait for the two leaders to meet and make a decision," he explained.
Wu believes the United States must recognize China as its most significant trading partner, warning that the costs of "decoupling" from the Chinese economy would be unbearable.
"After the first round of trade war between our two countries, I hope he can understand that China is, after all, the single most important business partner to the U.S., because the U.S. simply cannot afford to decouple from the Chinese economy. The U.S. relies too much on the supply chain from China. So in that sense, he may want to have a more realistic, pragmatic approach to this relationship," he said.
Chinese expert calls for "multi-pillar" strategy in China-U.S. relations
