Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) meets with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (second from left) in Beijing, capital of China, June 19, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping’s emphasis that China and the United States can establish a mutually beneficial harmonious relationship by respecting each other’s core interests offers a path for Washington to bring relations to the right track, experts said.

Xi met United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken at Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, towards the end of a two-day visit, the highest-level trip by a US official to China since 2018.

As indicated by President Xi, “sound relations between China and the US can only be good for the world”, and it is “hoped that the visit can re-ignite the momentum for inter-country harmony that will set the right foundation for global benefit,” said Lawrence Loh, director at the Centre for Governance and Sustainability of the National University of Singapore

Lawrence Loh, director at the Centre for Governance and Sustainability of the National University of Singapore, said the visit to China by the top US diplomat is a significant development amidst escalating geopolitical tensions between the two countries.

The Chinese leadership’s meetings with Blinken “testify well to the importance of open channels of communication to resolve any crisis at hand”, he said.Apart from Xi, Blinken also got a chance to exchange views with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang, and Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

Loh said the Sino-US relationship must be based on firm actions rooted in the fundamental principle of mutual respect. It will be dysfunctional if one side violates the sovereignty or territorial integrity of the other country through provocative diplomacy on any critical issue.

As indicated by President Xi, “sound relations between China and the US can only be good for the world”, and it is “hoped that the visit can re-ignite the momentum for inter-country harmony that will set the right foundation for global benefit,” Loh added.

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Khalid Taimur Akram, executive director of the Pakistan Research Centre for a Community with Shared Future in Islamabad, said Xi emphasized the vital importance of fostering a fundamentally harmonious China-US relationship. It is hoped that Blinken’s visit will promote more broader cooperation and exchanges between the US and China, he said.

President Xi “urged the United States to embrace a rational and pragmatic approach and strive towards shared objectives with China,” Akram noted, adding that China has always played a constructive role in seeking global development and peace, while the US authorities have constantly promoted anti-China sentiment.

China always wishes for a strong and stable Sino-US relationship and is confident that the two major nations can overcome their differences and find approaches to work together for win-win cooperation, he said.

But for this to happen, “the US must abandon Cold War mentality and should stop interfering in the domestic affairs” of China, Akram said.

Instead, the US must engage in dialogue and cooperation based on equality and mutual respect, maintain a commitment to inclusivity and openness rather than exclusivity and confrontation, uphold international law and international rules rather than pursuing its own supremacy, and defend justice and equality rather than pursuing hegemony and aggressive behavior, he said.

Akram noted that China consistently contributes to global growth, fosters world peace, and upholds the rules-based system. Thus, the US authorities must appreciate President Xi's proposals for the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative for world well-being.

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Piti Srisangnam, associate professor of economics at the Faculty of Economics of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, said that he believes the “US strategy of considering China as a multidimensional challenge has not changed”. 

However, the new meetings, dialogues and negotiations can make the situation less stressful, he said, noting that the engagement shows that the US is not ready to open up conflicts on many fronts right now.

“For Thailand, which is a good friend of both countries, we must maintain a balance and reaffirm the alliance with both parties,” he said, adding that the whole world will benefit if the two superpowers live in harmony with each other.

Wichai Kinchong Choi, senior vice-president of Thai bank Kasikornbank, said it was beyond most people's expectation that President Xi met Blinken himself in Beijing.

“This really demonstrated the new demeanor of China, a major country in the world,” he said. “Even (if it) received some provocative act from the US, China is still willing to talk, for a greater common ground and a stable world situation.”

According to him, it is good to have the two countries to get back to negotiating table. Thailand and other ASEAN countries want to see the region enjoy peaceful and stable development, for which stable relations between the world’s top two economies are vital, he added.

Contact the writers at vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com