Zheng Yongnian on China-US realism and battling for the upper hand before the next summit

Zheng Yongnian, a political scientist and government adviser in China, shared his insights on the China-US relationship and the recent summit with President Trump. He believed that realism should be applied when assessing the relationship, as both nations have achieved remarkable feats and are likely to remain major global powers.

The summit delivered a stable outcome, with economic and trade relations becoming more stable, complementing each other's economies, and confirming the importance of economic ties in the relationship. Additionally, political trust was highlighted as crucial, with six points of consensus on economic cooperation and the importance of communication and trust-building as China and the US navigate their relationship.

However, security issues remained challenging due to deep-seated perceptions of threats, emphasizing the need for increased political trust and communication between the leaders of both nations. Despite differences in emphasis, both sides agreed on the importance of addressing Taiwan and the South China Sea issues. The outlook for future summits included the potential for expanded economic and trade relations, strengthened consensus on stability, and more frequent communication to build trust.