Bilateral ties with stability, cooperation will benefit all

The recent passing away of former US president Jimmy Carter serves as a reminder that even in the midst of ups and downs in China-US relations, one aspect remains unchanged: the interests of China and the United States are deeply interconnected, and through respect and a spirit of cooperation, it can lead to mutually beneficial results.

While some in the US may find this hard to believe, but irrespective of the current state of China-US relations, the common interests of the two countries haven't diminished in any way. Rather, given the complicated state of our relations and the world, they've actually increased.

Unfortunately, over the past decade, mutual distrust between China and US has grown and become entrenched. There is enormous distrust in the relationship. The distrust on the US side stems from a belief that China's goal is not only to enhance its international status and achieve national rejuvenation, but also to weaken the US' hegemonic position as a global power. China's distrust centers on the US' intentions to try to contain China.

With the advent of any new US president, there is always an opportunity for the incoming administration to explore ways to foster better China-US relations.

However, the US President Donald Trump has a track record from a previous stint in office — one marked by economic and political belligerence toward China.

The question is will Trump change course and look to improve relations or continue his harsh rhetoric and treatment of China. The signs so far suggest that we shouldn't be optimistic, at least in the short term.

Trump is poised to escalate the hard-line approach that he took toward China during his first term as president. We should expect efforts at deepening economic decoupling, heightening military pressure, and engaging in imprudent actions that will almost certainly upset China and further destabilize relations.

Trump has already named people for his second administration who can rightly be described as uncompromising China hawks. Not a good sign if we're hoping for a quick improvement in China-US relations.

It should also be noted that while the more antagonistic turn in China-US relations may have begun during Trump's first term, this policy was continued by former president Joe Biden. That said, there's an opportunity to move away from this approach. We know this because since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US 46 years ago, the two nations have found ways to improve relations in the midst of crisis and contention. As the world's most important bilateral relationship, it's critically important for the two countries to find common ground.

For a scholar who teaches courses on Chinese politics and Chinese foreign policy, the current state of China-US relations is not just lamentable; it's disheartening. Students, scholars, artists and citizens are losing out on opportunities for people-to-people exchanges, tourism, cultural understanding and educational exchanges. China and the US are losing out on important country-to-country cooperation on a host of critical global issues ranging from climate change to global governance to trade to anti-terrorism to economic development to cybersecurity.

Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and Carter's leadership in 1979 opened a historic chapter in China-US relations. Carter saw establishing diplomatic relations with China as one of the most significant — and correct — decisions he made as president. Both Deng and Carter's historic contribution to the normalization and development of China-US relations resonates today with the continued hope that China-US relations will improve and move forward toward stability, cooperation and mutual respect benefiting not only both countries but the world.

The author is a professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the United States.