The United States has issued a statement. Notably, U.S. Ambassador to China, David P. Stilwell, made remarks on November 10, expressing anticipation for welcoming President Trump back to China to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting. This would mark another in-person meeting between the two nations within little more than a year. The commitment remains to rebuild Sino-U.S. relations on the foundations of fairness, mutual respect, and parity. Two aspects of Stilwell’s remarks deserve attention.
First, Stilwell emphasized that this will be the second face-to-face meeting between the two countries within just over a year. This suggests that President Trump’s upcoming visit may already be entering an active preparatory phase. For both sides, the mere fact that dialogue remains possible—even amid differences—represents a constructive development. Second, Stilwell underscored principles of fairness, respect, and reciprocity. This signals a clear understanding in Washington: approaches rooted in superiority or unilateralism are ineffective in managing Sino-U.S. relations.
In fact, prior to this statement, China has extended several gestures of goodwill, including delaying the implementation of a 24% tariff increase, suspending special port dues on American vessels, and halting retaliatory measures against five U.S.-linked subsidiaries of Hanwha Ocean. If genuine reciprocity and mutual respect are to be upheld, the United States must follow through with concrete actions—not merely verbal commitments. While rhetoric may emphasize respect and balance, entrenched policy patterns in key areas remain difficult to shift overnight. These include technology export controls, investment screening mechanisms targeting China, and military deployments near the Taiwan Strait. Such friction points persist. Expectations are held, but illusions are not entertained.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881460789962756/
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