The increase in antagonism between the United States and China has affected multilateral talks, too. Being aware of their responsibility as the world's largest and second-largest economies, the two nations must reconcile with each other in abating the conflict.
The latest summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum has ended, but without an APEC leaders' joint declaration being adopted. It was the first time this has happened since the initial top-level APEC meeting in 1993.
The United States demanded that the declaration include a reference urging the World Trade Organization to increase penalties against unfair trade practices. It was possible to view the U.S. move as an attempt to exert greater international pressure on China, with a view to achieving WTO reforms targeting China.
In consideration of the "America first" policy pursued by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, China sought to ensure the declaration includes objections to what it calls "unilateralism" by the United States. Neither the United States nor China accepted each other's assertions, forcing the chair nation of Papua New Guinea to give up on adopting the declaration.
The APEC forum is a framework for Asia-Pacific nations and territories to cooperate in striving for the stability and economic development of the Asia-Pacific region. If the meetings continue to have similar results, it could raise questions about the reason for the forum's existence.
How should the forum collate the opinions of its member states and regions and incorporate them into declarations, while taking points of disagreement into consideration? It is about time to reconsider how APEC meetings should be managed and what documented agreements should be like.
Constructive summit talks vital
The U.S.-China battle of words over supremacy in Asia was also staged through speeches given at APEC-related gatherings.
Urging participants to join the "Belt and Road" initiative, which seeks to create a huge economic zone, Chinese President Xi Jinping sought to restrain the United States, saying that rules are not a result of assertions by anyone with great power.
"We don't drown our partners in a sea of debt," U.S. Vice President Mike Pence emphasized, bearing in mind the fact that China is seeking to saddle "Belt and Road" project partner countries with debts, a move aimed at transforming harbors and other facilities there into its military footholds.
If China's aggressive moves, including an attempt to establish military footholds in the South China Sea, are left unchecked, it would allow the country to snatch leadership of the regional order and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific.
This sense of urgency is increasingly shared not only by the Trump administration but also by the U.S. Congress and industrial circles. To ease the U.S.-China conflict, the Xi administration must realize that rectifying his nation's hegemonistic conduct and unfair trade practices is indispensable.
It is also impermissible for the United States to be promoting trade policies that pay no heed to international rules, including the unilateral imposition of punitive tariffs. The U.S.-China trade war is a factor in stagnating global trade and investment and disturbing financial markets.
At an upcoming summit meeting, Trump and Xi should promote constructive talks aimed at mending the rift.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 20, 2018)
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