By Koustubh Tol
On 6th April 2017, Donald Trump, the President of the United states will host the Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The meeting will mark the first faceoff between the two leaders from the two largest economies in the world ever since Trump took office.
The United States and China have been at loggerheads with each other over several issues in the recent past. The US has raised strong objections to Chinas rising influence in the South China Sea and its diplomatic relations with North Korea following the recent reports of nuclear tests conducted by Kim Jong-un. After the official announcement from the White House about Mr Jinpings visit, President Trump tweeted about the possibility of having a very difficult meeting with the Chinese President. Further, he raised serious concerns over trade deficits and job losses faced by the US, which he has accused China of instigating.
Many in the US are raising questions about Trumps capabilities in handling foreign policy issues. This is not surprising following his meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which wasnt productive.
A problem that goes back in time
The US and China disagree on various diplomatic issues. The beginning of this discord can be traced back to the rising tensions over the long-standing territorial dispute of South China Sea during Obamas Presidency. Countries like China, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam have staked their claim to the territory, which has a large stock of oil beneath the sea. Following Chinas monopolistic behaviour, US had raised diplomatic objections.
The US has also accused China of being less serious towards North Koreas nuclear testing reports. China is believed to be the only source of diplomatic and economic support for North Korea. The upcoming bilateral meet is expected to stress on this issue in order to put pressure on China in dealing with North Korea to stop its nuclear expansion.
The need for a peaceful meeting
One of the major concerns from Chinas perspective is the view of the US on the One-China policy, which states that Taiwan and mainland China are integral parts of China. After the announcement of the US elections, Mr Trump had spoken to the Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, which had enraged China. Though Trump reassured his commitment towards the One-China Policy in a phone call with Mr Jinping after taking office, the topic would be one of the major concerns of China in the upcoming meet.
Considering President Trumps anti-trade policies, China is slowly emerging as the new leader for free and open trade across the globe. Since his campaigning days, Trump has been targeting China over unfair trade policies and currency manipulations. Trump has also threatened an increase in import taxes for Chinese goods. The decision, if taken, will spark a full-blown trade war between the two countries, which may not be fruitful for Chinas future. With the US determined over the America First policy, China must pursue Trump and try to convince him to continue with the existing trade policies.
What is the hullabaloo about?
As per the status quo, US and China together contribute to 40% of the world GDP (according to IMF estimates of the year 2016). In such circumstances, the entire world economy will be directly affected if there is any conflict of interest between the two superpowers. As Trump faces strong criticism to most of his policies back home, a diplomatic blunder with China would make things even worse. Be it economic cooperation or a diplomatic standoff, the new US government must be amicable in its approach towards China.
With a range of serious diplomatic and economic issues to cover, the world would be on its toes when the two most powerful leaders on earth shake hands.
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