US and China should institutionalise high-level talks to ease AI-era tensions, says Richard Haass

Lead

A veteran US diplomat has urged Washington and Beijing to institutionalise their high-level diplomatic interactions and deepen cooperation on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, saying that greater transparency is essential to avoid a downturn in relations. The call comes weeks after US President Donald Trump’s first visit to China since 2017, as both sides sought to stabilise ties and ease trade tensions.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting from the South China Morning Post highlights two distinct perspectives on the current state of US-China relations. One account focuses on the constructive proposal from Richard Haass, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, who argued that meetings between senior officials should become routine rather than treated as “news.” Another account features a more cautious assessment from Zhao Hai, director of the international politics programme at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ National Institute for Global Strategy, who warned that deep-seated structural rivalry and regulatory barriers are likely to limit any durable thaw.

While both reports acknowledge the recent leaders’ summit as a stabilizing factor, they differ in their emphasis: Haass’s remarks point toward a path for improving the relationship, while Zhao’s analysis underscores the fragility of the current calm.

Key Claims

• Richard Haass described the US-China relationship as needing to be “institutionalised and regularised in its diplomatic interactions,” according to the South China Morning Post. He said he views diplomacy as “simply another instrument of foreign policy and national security that should be more regularly used.”
• Zhao Hai, speaking at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Dalian, said he was “not that rosy about the future because the structural forces are still working.” He pointed to “looming dangers” from tariffs, technology disruptions, and investment restrictions that continue to cast a shadow over the relationship.
• The Trump-Xi summit last month produced few economic deliverables, but the two leaders agreed to build what Washington called a “constructive relationship of strategic stability.” Zhao said the meeting restored a degree of stability and eased pressure on supply chains, including aircraft engine deliveries, but did little to resolve the deeper mismatch in how the two sides view the relationship.
• Zhao noted that while the Trump administration tends to frame ties in transactional terms, Xi approaches the talks through a broader global, bilateral, and people-to-people lens. “At this stage, it’s no longer a pure bilateral relationship. It’s a global relationship,” Zhao said.

Perspectives

Richard Haass (US diplomatic perspective): Haass advocates for regular high-level meetings and deeper cooperation on emerging technologies, emphasizing that transparency and routine diplomatic engagement are key to avoiding a downturn in relations.

Zhao Hai (Chinese think-tank perspective): Zhao cautions that structural forces and regulatory barriers could limit any durable thaw, warning that the current calm remains fragile despite the leaders’ summit and its limited economic outcomes.