One-China principle is the cornerstone of Sino-US relations

By Xu Bu

In recent months, high-level interactions between China and the U.S. have become more frequent. 

On June 10, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Singapore. On June 13, Yang Jiechi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. On July 5, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He had a video conversation with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Moreover, General Li Zuocheng, member of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, held video talks at invitation with General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff on July 7. On July 9, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Bali. The two sides had comprehensive, in-depth, and candid communication. 

However, we have not seen any substantive change in Washington's China policy. The U.S. is still trying to build exclusive clubs to contain China. The U.S. needs to understand that, whether it is the so-called Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, AUKUS, or the Quad, Asian countries hold significant doubt about U.S. motivations. Southeast Asian countries do not want to choose between China and the U.S.

This year marks the 50th anniversary since the leaders of China and the U.S. made the right decision to break the ice and open up a new chapter of bilateral relations. Starting from the Shanghai Communiqué, the two countries ended more than two decades of standoff and isolation, and made a series of steps toward normalization in bilateral relations. The Shanghai Communiqué and two following Communiqués established the one-China principle as the foundation of bilateral ties, and the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the guiding principle for its healthy development. As two countries with different social systems, ideologies, and stages of development, China and the U.S. set aside their differences. They sought common ground, injecting positive factors into the tense atmosphere of the Cold War. It was beneficial not only to the people of both countries but also to peace, stability, and development of the Asia Pacific and the world. 

Today, the world is living through changes unseen in a century. The prevailing trend of peace and development is facing severe challenges, such as the dark clouds of Cold War mentality and power politics, as well as the constantly emerging traditional and non-traditional security threats. The combined COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, plus reactions by major countries, have resulted in disruptions to global industrial and supply chains and weaker global governance. Without strong cooperation between major countries, international security and development matters will only grow more serious over time. 

China and the U.S., as permanent members of the UN Security Council and the world’s two leading economies, must draw wisdom and strength from history and guide the bilateral relations forward along the right track. 

To achieve that, both countries should, first, refrain from defining the world along ideological lines and suppress the impulse to provoke bloc confrontation. We need to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders in the video call, and the U.S. should translate President Biden’s remarks into concrete actions. The U.S. must prove it does not seek a new Cold War with China, does not aim to change China’s system, does not use its revitalized alliances to target China, does not support "Taiwan Independence," and has no intention to seek a conflict with China. 

Second, the Taiwan question is a legacy of China’s civil war and is the most critical and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations. The one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiqués have always been an important political consensus between the two countries and the political foundation of bilateral ties. We must abide by the principle and communiqués and control the risk of miscalculation arising from the Taiwan issue. 

Third, we need to strengthen dialogue and consultation to explore cooperation in bilateral and multilateral issues where China and the U.S. share overlapping interests, such as agriculture, climate change, and coping with COVID.

The U.S. should abandon its attempts to contain China and work for healthy and stable China-U.S. relations together with China, thus bringing benefits to the peace, stability, and development of the Asia-Pacific. 

Dr. Xu Bu is the President of the China Institute of International Studies.