On March 26th, Mr. ZHANG Baijia gave a lecture themed “History and Lessons of the Chinese Communist Party’s Engagement with the US” to about 100 students in foreign affairs and area studies at Shanghai International Studies University. Mr. Zhang is former Deputy Director of the Party History Research Center of the CPC Central Committee, a member of the Academic Committee of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University, and a China Forum Expert. The lecture was jointly organized by the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies and CISS’s China Forum.

Revisiting key stages of development of China-US relations with case studies, Mr. Zhang noted that major power relationships are extremely complex with two sides having both convergence and divergence of interests. The key to sustainable relationships lies in expanded convergence and proper friction handling.

Despite their distinct societal systems, values, national security and strategic environments and international behavior patterns, China and the US tend to judge each other based on their own understanding without acknowledging these differences, bringing the bilateral ties on a roller-coaster ride, said Zhang. Furthermore, in the episodes of China-US tug-of-war, it is often only after seeing each other’s strength and limits that fears were cleared and mutual trust reached.

Finally, competition is a reality that China and the US will have to face. As China rises as one of the most influential players in international relations, it needs to avoid chauvinistic conceitedness. China-US relations still face long and difficult years ahead, but the two sides are more likely to be competitors than adversaries.

Zhang Baijia wrapped up the lecture by calling for rationality, patience and wisdom in navigating China-US relations in a growingly multipolar and pluralistic world.