Operation Reset? US and China revive backchannel talks; Beijing congratulates Biden
- Thaw in semi-official exchanges after the deep freeze in relations between the two countries, academic says
- But Beijing is still taking a cautious tack, stopping short of calling the Democratic candidate the president-elect
The semi-official communication channel – often conducted through former officials, think tanks and business leaders – has traditionally been an important conduit for the two sides to exchange candid views and float ideas before more formal contacts.
Such communication had stopped in recent months as the relationship went into deep freeze, a Chinese government adviser told the South China Morning Post.
But the semi-official exchanges have resumed.
“A while ago, people in the United States dared not to talk to us [because of the toxic relationship]. This has changed, particularly from the Democrats side. The semi-official exchanges have again resumed,” Wang Xiangsui, a well-connected professor at Beihang University in Beijing, told an audience at a closed-door forum last month. His speech has only now been made public.
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China congratulates Joe Biden on being elected US president