Dialogue over division, cooperation over decoupling in China-U.S. ties

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September 24, 2026 11:38 AM EDT

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BEIJING, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Beijing Review.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 23 voiced confidence that China and the United States, as two major countries, can find a right way to get along in the new era. China and the U.S. should work in the same direction, promote a stable relationship featuring cooperation as the mainstay, moderate competition, manageable differences and promises of peace, Xi said in a written speech upon his arrival for a U.S. state visit.

High-level engagement can inject fresh certainty into bilateral relations, which remain deeply intertwined amid persistent complexities and differences. Insights from American business leaders and cultural practitioners echo the core logic of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation, proving that decoupling is neither realistic nor desirable for both sides.

Harley Seyedin, Chairman and President of the American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China), represents over 2,300 member firms that account for nearly 40 percent of bilateral trade and investment volume. The chamber's 23 consecutive years of annual surveys have demonstrated robust and sustained business confidence: More than 45 percent of respondents rank China as their top reinvestment destination, around 76 percent plan to reinvest in China in 2026, and member enterprises have earmarked over $13.4 billion for market expansion over the next three to five years.

Most U.S. companies maintain profitable operations in China, securing faster and higher returns than in other global markets, Seyedin told Beijing Review. Boasting a massive consumer base, advancing service-oriented industrial upgrading, a dynamic economic landscape and widespread corporate research and development (R&D) centers, China continues to deliver tangible and valuable commercial opportunities for American enterprises. He stressed that uncertainty is the biggest enemy of cross-border investment, and the two highly integrated economies can never be separated from each other.

This sentiment was echoed by Michael Hart, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China). Its more than 4,000 members, spanning finance, healthcare, advanced technology and artificial intelligence, yearn for greater stability and predictability in cross-border investment and operations. Such high-level face-to-face dialogues send reassuring signals to the global business community, encouraging U.S. firms to further expand their footprint in the Chinese market, he said.

Beyond economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges serve as an indispensable bond for enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples. Ryan Martin, an American actor featured in Once Upon a Time in the Middle East — a box office smash this summer in China, said that disrupted dialogue will inevitably breed misunderstanding and even potential conflicts. According to him, ordinary Americans grow genuine curiosity about China after witnessing first-hand its progress in almost every sector, including accessible public medical services and an efficient high-speed transportation system.

Cultural works that abandon simplistic and one-sided stereotypes can effectively bridge societal gaps and fill the communication vacuum caused by shrinking academic and people-to-people exchanges, Martin added.

While unavoidable divergences persist, the shared interests of China and the U.S. far outweigh existing disputes. It is unrealistic to expect a single summit to resolve all long-standing problems in bilateral relations, yet the high-level meeting marks a vital forward step. It offers a precious opportunity for both sides to make 2026 a landmark year that opens a new chapter for China-U.S. relations.

Moreover, the significance of their ties extends far beyond bilateral boundaries. Stable interactions between the two major powers deliver much-needed certainty to a turbulent world.

Engagement rather than confrontation, communication instead of isolation, represents the only viable path for the world's two largest economies. While high-level meetings open new windows for bilateral engagement, real and lasting progress hinges on translating hard-won shared consensus into tangible, down-to-earth actions from both sides.

Comments to [email protected]

Harley Seyedin

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1J2Rjx6sw4/

https://x.com/BeijingReview/status/2102710573725294884?s=20

https://youtu.be/WOCp27kwzrM?si=TV0WQ2P6FbHGhfoe

https://x.com/Pacific_Dialog/status/2102699495314313664?s=20

Michael Hart

https://x.com/Pacific_Dialog/status/2101939257283850291?s=20

https://x.com/BeijingReview/status/2101940074103406605?s=20

https://www.facebook.com/reel/960803666351645/

https://youtu.be/9_ypsWsJyF8

Ryan Martin