Chance to ease tensions should not be wasted

The studied silence surrounding the visit to Beijing by Daniel J. Kritenbrink, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Sarah Beran, White House National Security Council’s senior director for China affairs, points to the sensitivity that now characterizes Sino-US relations.

The visit of the senior US officials to China is the second by members of the Job Biden administration since it unilaterally canceled Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing in early February, which put the brakes on the positive momentum in bilateral interactions generated by the talks between the two countries’ leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November.

That Beijing gave the nod for the visit of Kritenbrink and Beran shows that it remains open to dialogue with Washington. But the lower level of the two visiting US officials shows that both sides know there is much groundwork to be laid if higher-level talks are not to descend into acrimonious exchanges once again.

But although the talks are at a lower level than they would have been had Blinken’s visit gone ahead as planned, Kritenbrink and Beran are major contributors to policymaking in their respective fields, suggesting that both sides are still trying to manage their rapidly souring relations.

That being said, the visit of the two US officials, which began on Sunday, provides a good opportunity for Washington to rebuild its credibility with Beijing. Their posts mean that they do not have to speak to the cameras, and they can listen as well as say their piece.

With the provocations of US battleships and warplanes becoming increasingly frequent in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, no one would be too surprised if there was an incident on the doorstep of China.

It is to be hoped that the talks will be able to help avert such an undesirable scenario.

Which will not be the case if the two visitors have come all the way just to try and intimidate Beijing with coercion, threats and ultimatums. If they waste the opportunity of the hard-earned meeting in this way, it will only worsen the situation.

If the two US officials have come to Beijing with the willingness to talk in good faith, they will find their hosts willing to reciprocate. But they should always bear in mind that no meaningful exchanges can take place unless the US side respects China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and core interests.

Editorial, China Daily