Managing U.S.-China relations is a delicate act. One wrong move can blow the entire ship off course. I’ve repeatedly described the bilateral relationship as an apt example of the one-step-forward, two-steps-back phenomenon. Whether it’s a foolish, ego-driven trip to Taiwan by a House speaker or a surveillance balloon hovering over America, officials seeking improved relations are often at the mercy of events. Hawkish elements will take any slip-up as an opportunity to rail against collaboration, regardless of the issue at stake.
Still, U.S. and Chinese defense officials have finally resurrected talks for the first time since then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in August 2022. We have limited information about how these talks progressed. But the mere fact that they occurred after such a long hiatus is itself a small dollop of hope. It suggests that the two sides seek a return to a business-as-usual mentality.
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