The world watches with anticipation and some anxiety U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to China. How will the leaders of the world's largest and second-largest economies manage their bilateral relations amid an environment of global fragility and uncertainty? [Special Coverage]
Trump's first visit to Asia as U.S. president comes against the backdrop of volatility on the Korean Peninsula, deteriorating global security, and political uncertainty back home.
During his election campaign, Trump labeled China a "currency manipulator" and called for slapping 45 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. Many foreign analysts speculate as to whether and how he will raise these issues and the effect they might have on this very important global and strategic relationship. And quite a few business leaders in the United States have called on Trump to be "tough on China". But what does that really mean and how practical is this kind of rhetoric?
Sober up, running a campaign to be elected the president of the United States and actually being the president are two very different things. After entering the White House, most presidents have realized the world is about entangled or intertwined relationships that may be far more complex than they previously understood.
So how will President Xi Jinping and Trump find commonality above differences? Perhaps talking straightforward business may do the trick. One thing we can expect is that while in Beijing, Trump will revert to being more of a businessman than political campaigner.
Trump has in tow a delegation of 29 American business leaders, each looking to leverage the visit for opportunity not conflict. They represent traditional U.S. industries, fossil fuel-based energy and basic agriculture. This comes at a time when China has become the single-largest global investor in artificial intelligence, mobile phone banking, and research and development for an unprecedented scale of renewable and efficient energy. Will the two leaders be able to find new synergy through comparative advantages in the new era?
At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, talked about socialism with Chinese characteristics in the "New Era", an era that he emphasized would include inclusiveness, diversified not monolithic globalization, and openness toward trade and investment. Clearly, China regards its relations with the American people among its most important global relationships. And that should be principled on partnership not altercation.
A troubled China-U.S. relationship benefits nobody. A positive one allows for constructive engagement on a host of issues, from trade and security, where both countries need to sensibly work together rather than apart, to business deals that offer employment and economic buoyancy. Hopefully, this will be the outcome of Trump's visit.
During the 1980s and 1990s China-U.S. relations were all about American investments coming to China to create jobs and transfer technology. But from the makeup of Trump's business delegation, we can see that times have really changed. The U.S. is adhering to "old industries", from coal and diesel-powered cars to soybeans and steel. On the other hand, China is leapfrogging into the latest technologies for everything, from high-speed railway to solar grid systems and robotics. The triangle of Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Guangzhou is already being celebrated by venture capitalists as the new Silicon Valley of innovation, research and development. Which means China-U.S. relations today could be more about Chinese investments in the U.S. creating jobs.
