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US, China need to build trust by increasing exchanges, says expert
Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/10/8 14:05:36
Richard A. Black, a long-time member of The Schiller Institute in New York, receives an interview with Xinhua in New York, the United States, Oct. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Mocheng)
The United States and China need to build trust through increasing people-to-people exchanges and collaborations, said Richard A. Black, a long-time member of The Schiller Institute in New York.
"One of the things that we have to rebuild between the United States and China now is trust," Black told Xinhua Saturday in an interview.
The root causes of the bilateral trade tensions lie in a fear of China's economic excellence by some leading circles in the United States, as a result of misconception and geopolitical thinking, according to the expert.
"There were those in leading political circles in America having a British imperial outlook. We can only hope that the falseness of that view can be past," Black said.
"There are certain fears and geopolitical habits from the old way of thinking, the colonial way of thinking that to the 19th century, which are still in holding us back in the West," he stressed, adding that it is necessary to discard ideas about geopolitical conflict or fight over resources.
The United States and China have much in common, and increasing people-to-people exchanges may be an approach to changing the geopolitical mindset, said Black.
"If we can get people to think about that, then we will come up with ways to coordinate our joint development," he added.
People watch a firecracker ceremony during the 20th New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival in lower Manhattan of New York, the United States, Feb. 5, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
Many US state governments have continued sending delegations of businessmen and lawmakers to China. "I certainly would like to see delegations of US Senators and Congressmen go to Beijing and meet with their current counterparts ... and the same thing with Chinese political leaders coming to the United States," said Black.
Black said he expects that intensified exchanges like these would help uproot fears and prejudices among the people, contributing to inter-civilizational dialogue the kind that has prompted advances in history. "That's the rule, not the exception," he added.
"We need a new paradigm of international relations, and we feel that China is making a very important contribution in helping to define a new paradigm of international relations," said Black.
China's contribution today to multilateralism is using economic development as a way to boost global development, he added.
Posted in: DIPLOMACY