Resetting Sino-US ties best honor for Carter

The passing of Jimmy Carter, the US’ 39th president from 1977 to 1981 at the age of 100 reminds us that Carter’s hope for a more peaceful world is still the great unaccomplished task of our time. There is no better way to honor Carter’s memory than to reset Sino-US relations from zero-sum to win-win.

Although rare, miracles in our time still do happen. One was the then US president Richard Nixon’s shocking announcement in 1971 that he would visit Beijing the following year, now known as “the week that changed the world.” But it was Jimmy Carter who oversaw the complex diplomatic negotiations that led to the established formal diplomatic relations with China on Jan 1, 1979. Later that same month, Carter hosted the memorable visit of the then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping when Carter emphasized to Deng the mutual benefits that would accrue to both countries and Deng praised Carter’s decision calling it a farsighted decision that marked a turning point in global affairs.

Carter was a man of faith. He famously taught Sunday School in his small town of Plains, Georgia from time to time throughout his life. In March, 1979 he promoted the signing of the Egypt-Israeli peace agreement at the White House that ended decades of bloodshed between the two former sworn enemies, a peace that has incredibly held until today, despite all the subsequent turmoil in the turbulent region.

The incoming US President, Donald Trump, will be sworn in on Jan 20, 2025. If he can demonstrate courage and wisdom, it may herald the start of a reset in bilateral relations, as remarkable and unexpected as the achievements of Nixon and Carter decades ago.

The author is a US scholar and senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization.

The views don't reflect those of China Daily.