Better China-US relations critical for the world

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump said he believes he will "get along well" with Russia and China if he wins the election. The first sign of that was evident when even before taking the oath of office, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation on Jan 17 to exchange views on key bilateral and global issues.

"The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately … President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!" Trump said in his post on the Truth Social media platform.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump, in the words of his adviser, has expressed interest in visiting China in his first 100 days in office.

The possibility of direct contact and frank exchanges between Chinese and US leaders early in the new administration's term is indeed a good sign.

Also, it was comforting to hear Trump say at a rally in Washington on Jan 19 that he would prevent "World War III", because the Joe Biden administration was busy stoking fire during the past years in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

Defusing tensions in the Asia-Pacific would benefit not only China and the United States but also the entire region and beyond, because the Asia-Pacific today is the most dynamic region in the world.

It was also good to see Trump not repeating the 60 percent tariff threat that he made during the presidential campaign, although early this week he threatened to impose fresh tariffs on Chinese goods if China disagreed with a US entity acquiring 50 percent stakes in TikTok, and slap 10 percent tariffs if China did not help stop fentanyl from entering the US from Mexico and Canada.

Blaming China or other countries for the US' fentanyl crisis and other drug problems is wrong. The US should instead reflect on why the abuse of drugs is the most serious in the US.

Many US experts have said the root cause of the drug crisis is over-prescription of legal pain killers, and recommended that the administration take measures to stop illicit online transactions, strengthen border inspection and prevent people from overdosing.

The witch hunt against TikTok is absurd, because no one has ever provided any concrete evidence to prove the alleged national security threat posed by TikTok.

The fact that a good part of the presidential campaigns by Trump, Biden and later previous vice-president Kamala Harris were carried out through TikTok, in order to better connect with young voters, shows the short video-sharing platform does not pose a national security threat to the US.

Banning TikTok based on mere speculation or fearmongering would be a violation of the First Amendment of the US Constitution and tarnish the US' global reputation. No wonder US lawmakers such as Senators Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul have opposed the TikTok ban, with Paul signing up to the app on the day before the ban order was to take effect to protest the decision by the US Supreme Court. Trump has kept the complete ban on hold.

As for imposing punitive tariffs, it is the wrong way to address trade and other issues. A recent study by Warwick McKibbin and Marcus Noland, two researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, showed that a tariff war between the US and China would harm both economies.

It's high time the administration realized there are no winners in a trade war. Many US economists say the trade and tariff war the US launched against China was a total failure and caused more pain to the US people and economy.

China-US relations are the most important as well as most challenging bilateral relationship of the 21st century. Strengthening cooperation and properly managing differences will be beneficial to both countries and prompt them to jointly tackle global issues and make the world a better and safer place.

chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn

The author is chief of China Daily EU Bureau based in Brussels.