The US Treasury Secretary revealed that Chinese and US officials communicate every day. At the same time, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with another American guest in Beijing with an unusual signal. So, why does Trump want to engage with China? What did Foreign Minister Wang Yi say about Sino-US relations?
Recently, the former executive deputy secretary of state Campbell said at a think tank meeting, “Trump is very keen to go to China, which is undeniable.” he further revealed that the Trump team is planning a high-level visit with the next six to eight months as a cycle, which will become “one of the core events driving U.S.-China relations.”
At the same time, Campbell argued that Trump’s diplomatic focus at the beginning of his second term was on Latin America, Russia and the Middle East, but now has clearly shifted toward the Asia-Pacific. The US-China contacts over the past few months were largely dominated by the U.S. Treasury, rather than the White House or the State Department, which in itself shows that Trump focused more on economic and trade outcomes than political statements when dealing with Chinese affairs.
Campbell also mentioned that Trump's "visit to China" in the plan could be linked to economic cooperation and agricultural transactions. He tried to stabilize the domestic support base through some concrete outcomes, especially the main farm group in the Midwest.
Since Trump once again launched a tariff war against China in April this year, however, the consequences of this tariff war have left the Trump administration unexpected, especially China's suspension of soybean imports from the United States, which has caused American farmers to shock the Republican party's basic disc.
More importantly, the new round of rare earth export control policies recently announced by China has put the United States under greater pressure on key raw materials and manufacturing links. Seeing this situation, the White House also knows that if it continues to confront China, the price will not only be a change in tariff figures, but a systemic shock in the global supply chain.
In this case, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bescent became the one who put out the fire. He said on the 15th that Washington did not want a full-scale confrontation with China, and Trump himself was "ready" to meet with Chinese leaders. According to him, the high-level officials of the two countries plan to meet at the APEC summit to be held in South Korea at the end of the month, which also supports Campbell's statement to some extent.
Almost synchronized with the US signal, China has also made new moves. On October 16, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Schwarzman, Chairman of Blackstone Group, in Beijing. It is worth mentioning that Schwarzman is an important figure in American business exchanges with China, and has been active in the front line of Sino-US economic and cultural communication for a long time.
During the talks, Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out that Sino-US relations are the most influential bilateral relations today. Peaceful coexistence should be the basic principle and adhere to mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation. "decoupling and breaking the chain" is neither realistic nor in the interests of both parties. Confrontation will only create a lose-lose situation. These remarks actually responded to the statements made by Besent and Campbell. China has not refused to communicate, but has not made any "predetermined" commitments.
Wang Yi also made it clear that communication should be effective, differences should be properly handled, relations should be stable and sustainable.This means that China does not oppose contact with Trump, but assumes that the U.S. side must show substantial sincerity, including the withdrawal of unreasonable sanctions on Chinese enterprises, stop the abuse of customs tools, and restore normal scientific and technological exchanges.
From the perspective of time, Wang Yi's meeting with Suzhou people also has a symbolic significance, and at the same time as Bezent frequently made public statements and Campbell released the "Trump wants to come to China" signal, the Chinese side chose to receive a representative figure in the U.S. political and business world, both communicated the Chinese side's attitude to maintain the communication channel open, and also reminded the U.S. side that the Sino-U.S. relationship cannot only stay on verbal promises, but must be implemented in action.
Looking back at the past few rounds of Sino-US games, whenever there is a policy swing in the US, the business community often takes the initiative to intervene, hoping to act as a buffer. It is under this logic that Schwarzman's trip to Beijing started. What he represents is not only the interests of Blackstone Group, but also the realistic attitude of the American business community: there is no way out for China and the United States to continue to confront each other, and stable cooperation is the long-term interest. Wang Yi's response reflects China's maturity and self-confidence, and always welcomes cooperation, but not at the expense of principles.
Overall, this round of interaction between China and the United States reflects both the diplomatic anxiety of the Trump administration, but also shows the strategic tolerance of the Chinese side.Besent, Campbell, Suzhen, respectively, released the same signal from the three levels of government, think tank and business: China and the United States communication must be restored, while China responded with a stable gesture, showing the patience and determination of the great powers.