Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable role in injecting impetus into a stable China-U.S. relationship, according to Sean Stein, president of the U.S.-China Business Council.
At the invitation of President Donald Trump, President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States on Wednesday afternoon for a three-day state visit and a high-stakes meeting with Trump, during which the two leaders are expected to discuss the China-U.S. relationship and other issues of common concern.
This is Xi's second state visit to the United States, following his first in 2015, and it comes after Xi hosted Trump in Beijing in May.
During their talks in Beijing this May, Xi and Trump agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability over the next three years and beyond.
In a recent interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Shanghai, Stein said his expectations for the meetings between the Chinese and U.S. leaders are grounded in their track record of engagement.
"What we expect is one thing that you can take to the bank. One thing that is certain is that when the two leaders meet, good things happen. Look at any time the two presidents have met and that's been a real positive injection into the relationship. But it's not just when they've met, it's when they've exchanged letters, it's when they've had phone calls. And so, I think leader-to-leader contact is irreplaceable at this moment in history," he said.
Beyond any single deal, Stein said he hopes the two countries can continue to build on their constructive relationship of strategic stability.
"People might look at the business community and say we're just looking for deliverables, we're just looking for big announcements of purchase agreements. Well, those are great. That's not what we're looking for. What we're looking for is much more foundational. We're looking for a true commitment from both sides to strategic stability. We're looking for further progress on changing the tone of the relationship. So if you ask the business community, what do we want? Stability, we want better trust and better communication between the two sides," he said.
Head-of-state diplomacy plays irreplaceable role in China-U.S. ties: business leader
Head-of-state diplomacy plays irreplaceable role in China-U.S. ties: business leader
