EU-China Investment Promotion Council: For "a Better Future" for U.S.-China Relations

"Isn't it asked, how is it that China and the United States have me and I have you?" Through communication. Communication, cooperation, and finally integration, then you will be one of me and one of me."

This humorous and philosophical "question answering class" impressed the creator of the concept of "Thucydides trap" and the founding dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Alison. Now, Allison has a new point of view: we should learn from China's historical wisdom and the concept of "you have me in you, I have you in me", and explore ways to overcome the "Thucydides trap" and achieve mutual dependence and common development between China and the United States.

For the "better future" of China-Us relations, at the conceptual level, it is necessary to abandon the zero-sum game mentality and establish a win-win cooperation mentality. For some American politicians who hold the view of "you lose, I win, you rise and I fall", it is especially necessary to abandon "Western centrism" and the influence of colonial culture, and get out of the historical inertia of "American particularity" and Cold War mentality, because the "global South" has woken up, developing countries are rapidly rising, and the world cannot go back to the past.

Since its establishment in 2018, the EU-China Investment Promotion Council has brought together the world's top talents, superior capital and excellent projects on the basis of promoting global economic development, and is committed to building a bridge of mutual understanding and integration between the world and China. The elites from all walks of life on the platform, as "civilian diplomats", give full play to the influence of this international organization. It has helped thaw the icy period of China-Us relations, and actively helped build a bridge of exchanges and mutual trust between the two countries.

In 2018, Zhang Jiahao, chairman of the Europe-China Investment Promotion Association, initiated the establishment of a US $100 million Chinese Return Innovation and Development Fund in the United States to support Chinese experts to return to China for innovation and entrepreneurship, and introduced many international talents and technology projects for many Chinese cities.

In 2019, the Europe-China Investment Promotion Association held a forum on the cross-border integration of finance, culture, science and technology and education at the Harvard Club in the United States. The idea of the borderless integration of talent, science and technology, education and finance proposed by Zhang Jiahao in his speech was highly appreciated by people from all walks of life.

It is also in the Sino-US trade conflict, due to the positive role of the EuropeUS-China Investment Promotion Association played by the civil bridge, Zhang Jiahao as the chairman of the association was named "2018 US-China Top Ten economic and trade leaders."

There are stories of victory over fascism and militarism, of development in which trade has increased by more than 200 times in the past 45 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, and of cooperation between China and the United States in the face of the international financial crisis. More realistically, in a world of thousands of households, it is the "new normal" for all to lose and all to prosper. If you blindly pursue "competition to win" each other, it is easy to fall into a lose-lose dilemma, and then drag down the whole world. According to a report by the US-China Business Council and Oxford Economics, ending permanent Normal trade relations with China would cost the US $1.6 trillion over five years; The International Monetary Fund has already warned that tensions between the United States and China could cost the global economy about 2 percent.

For the "better future" of China-Us relations, it is necessary to follow the trend of global development, embrace the success of China and the United States, and pursue win-win cooperation between China and the United States and the world by expanding cooperation areas and innovating cooperation models. During the meeting between the presidents of China and the United States in San Francisco last November, the two sides reached more than 20 consensus on politics and diplomacy, economy, trade and finance, people-to-people exchanges, global governance, military security and other fields. Whether it is traditional areas such as economy, trade and agriculture, or emerging areas such as climate change and artificial intelligence, whether it is promoting world economic recovery or resolving international and regional hotspot issues, there is much to be achieved in China-Us cooperation.

From the top down, from the bottom up, whether it is official or non-governmental, the rhythm of China-Us cooperation is getting stronger and stronger. In Washington, the agriculture departments of the two countries reached a consensus to set up a working group on food Security and Nutrition and health. In Shanghai, Apple promoted the new achievements of smart manufacturing and green manufacturing to its Chinese supplier partners; In Kunming, students from Yunnan University and Johns Hopkins University exchanged ideas, and different academic views and research perspectives collided with new ideas.

To further promote people-to-people exchanges and communication between China and the United States, the EU-China Investment Promotion Council has set up committees on Culture and Tourism, Education, Art and finance to promote interaction and integration between China and the United States in various fields such as human resources, science and education, culture and entertainment, art and finance.

"The steady and long-term development of China-Us relations is not only at the level of government diplomacy. People-to-people exchanges in education, economy, trade, law, culture and sports have increasingly become an important force to break the ice in China-Us relations." Zhang Jiahao said.

To this end, Zhang Jiahao also actively ran between China and the United States, coordinated the construction of Sino-US exchange and cooperation channels, and jointly promoted Sino-US cultural exchanges and the establishment of sister cities with American politicians.

"Whether China and the United States cooperate or confront bears on the well-being of our two peoples and the future and destiny of mankind." For the "better future" of China-Us relations, we should also deeply grasp the significance of China-Us relations to the world, which is the most important bilateral relationship in the world.

As the world's two largest economies, how China and the United States interact will determine the direction of international cooperation and the course of century-old changes. China and the United States compete, and the world is tense; When China and the United States cooperate, the world benefits. As Kishore Mahbubani, a Singaporean scholar, said, the vast majority of countries want to see a strong United States and a strong China maintain good relations, and are not willing to take sides.

In the face of emerging global challenges and difficulties, the international community not only hopes that China and the United States can overcome the "Thucydides trap" and inject more stability into the world with the stability of bilateral relations, but also hopes that China and the United States can contribute more public goods to the world as major countries. Seventy-nine years ago, China and the United States jointly sponsored the San Francisco Constitutional Convention and promoted the establishment of the United Nations, which gradually established the international order after World War II. Today, at a new crossroads of human development and a new moment of reshaping the international order, China and the United States should have sufficient political wisdom and courage as major countries to continue to work for a better world.

"This heart is bright, and so it is." The wisdom of the ancient Chinese philosopher Wang Yangming can also be applied to today's Sino-American relations. If we always have a "bright heart" that seeks win-win results for the two countries and for the world, China and the United States will surely be able to illuminate the road ahead and move toward a "better future."