Last week, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger died at 100. He served as America’s top diplomat and national security adviser during the Nixon and Ford administrations, and was undoubtedly a key 20th-century political figure.

Focusing on what Kissinger meant for China, I must say that he enjoyed popularity in the Chinese mainland: China News Service’s obituary referred to him as “an old friend of the Chinese people”; and China Central Television called him “a legendary diplomat” who had played an important role in US-China relations.

Since Kissinger represented an era in US-China relations when both countries seemed to be moving closer, it saddens me (writing as someone who focused his master’s degree and part of his professional career on the relations between the US and EU and China) to see that the Kissinger ideals have not always been present in the US-China relationships these last few years.

Kissinger indeed played a crucial role in organizing then-US president Richard Nixon’s trip to China in 1972 and advocacy over the past half-century of continued engagement and warmer ties between the two countries. The 1972 visit led to the establishment in 1979 of diplomatic ties between the US and China, which could be labeled as a golden era in their bilateral relations.

READ MORE: 'Chinese people will remember Kissinger's work of China-US ties'

Unfortunately, the relationship between the two countries has not been so perfect these last few years. As I mentioned in the opinion column US-China Trade War: Have the Costs Been Counted? (China Daily Hong Kong, Jul 9, 2018), the previous US administration launched a meaningless trade war that cost both countries (and others) billions of dollars and the loss of thousands of jobs. To provide some context, that trade war was the result of then-US president Donald Trump’s bet on protectionism and bilateralism instead of free trade and multilateralism, which have brought great prosperity to America, not to mention boosting its global influence. By insisting on bilateral deals, the US risks getting left behind (or even left out from key areas) within the world economic order.

To sum up, given that the US and China are the world’s two biggest economies, and given the fact that, in today’s globalized world, they are undoubtedly intertwined, it is vital and crucial for both countries to cooperate as much as possible

Notwithstanding the change of administration in the US, Sino-US relations have remained tense. However, some green shoots have been seen these last few weeks that can invite a certain optimism.

On Nov 15, as part of President Xi Jinping’s visit to the US, the leaders of the two countries had a constructive meeting. While US President Joe Biden emphasized that the United States and China are in competition, the two leaders made progress on a number of key issues, such as the resumption of bilateral cooperation to combat global illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking; the resumption of high-level military-to-military communication; as well as the US-China Defense Policy Coordination Talks and the US-China Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings, and the affirmation of the need to address the risks of advanced AI systems and improve AI safety through US-China government talks, among others.

Did this meeting mean that we are back to the Kissinger-era state of bilateral US-China relations? Not at all. But at least, after years of tension, President Xi’s first visit to the US in six years, as well as the Xi-Biden meeting, was an important and relevant first step toward restoring normal bilateral communications.

READ MORE: Xi sends condolences to Biden over Kissinger's death

To sum up, given that the US and China are the world’s two biggest economies, and given the fact that, in today’s globalized world, they are undoubtedly intertwined, it is vital and crucial for both countries to cooperate as much as possible. It is also true that they will compete in certain areas, but the most important idea must be that of cooperation rather than competition. The world is currently facing many challenges and will undoubtedly face many more in years to come. It is acceptable to have different points of view, but it is also imperative for both countries to communicate properly. Bilateral relations should take their cue from the Kissinger era rather than the Trump era. This would not only benefit both countries, but the whole world as well.

The author is a fintech adviser, a researcher, and a former business analyst for a Hong Kong publicly listed company.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.