Gao Fei on Building a China-US Relationship of Constructive Strategic Stability - Unpacking China's Vision for World Order

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In today’s edition of the paper, there’s an article by Gao Fei, who heads the China Foreign Affairs University. There are some interesting takeaways from the piece that I’d like to highlight before sharing the full text.First, Gao argues that the current dialogue process between China and the US is a product of Beijing having successfully resisted and pushed back against American pressure. In other words, it is Chinese strength and capabilities that have got the US to realise that “containing and suppressing China does not work.”Second, I am struck by the turn around in discourse between the two countries. In 2022-23, it was the Biden administration that was talking about guardrails. In 2026, it is the Chinese side that’s talking about the need to “manage the boundaries of competition.” I think it is worth keeping this in mind. Beijing, as some analysts have noted, views the US as a declining but still a very dangerous hegemon that is lashing out. This shifting perception has likely led to greater prudence.Finally, I think it is interesting that Gao invokes the concept of building a “new type of major-country relationship” as a goal for China and the US in the long term. This was a proposal from Xi to Obama in Sunnylands in 2013. The American side had rejected the framing. In this article, Gao still seems to articulate that as the eventual destination for the bilateral relationship, with “constructive strategic stability” being the pathway toward getting there.Share Tracking People's DailyAnyway, here’s the full piece:“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, US President…