US-China ties need more working-level dialogues, not just summits: business chamber

The president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China has called for more working-level dialogues between Beijing and Washington, rather than relying solely on high-level summits. Michael Hart, AmCham China's president, believes that businesses need greater long-term stability in bilateral relations than just leader-level diplomacy can offer.

While the recent frequency of meetings between the presidents of China and the US is encouraging, Hart warns that working-level officials have less time to prepare for talks and produce substantive outcomes. He points out that between the meetings held in May and September, working-level officials had less than six months to prepare, compared to over six months typically allocated for government agencies.

Hart hopes that in 2027, negotiations will first be handled by senior economic officials and then further down to working-level officials. Despite the ups and downs in China-US relations, Hart emphasizes that American businesses still require extended stability and that fundamental issues, such as market access, need to be addressed.