U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns Speaks at Asia Society New York
NEW YORK; JUNE 7, 2024 — “It is interesting to see how many countries in the Indo-Pacific want a strategic relationship with the United States because of the assertiveness of the government of the People’s Republic of China,” said U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns at Asia Society New York on Thursday. “The United States government is deeply concerned about the bullying of China’s neighbors in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.”
Burns joined Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations, for a conversation about the future of the U.S-China relationship. Burns heavily emphasized the need for communication and tactful diplomacy between the U.S. and China, noting that “a conflict would be catastrophic for both sides.”
“I don’t think we’re in a period of time where we can change the behavior of the [PRC] government, but we can change the environment, which is what we have sought to do by strengthening our alliances, particularly in the Indo-Pacific,” said Burns, noting the U.S.' treaty obligations with Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
After a nadir in the relationship following Nancy Pelosi's 2022 visit to Taiwan and 'balloon-gate', leaders from the U.S. and China have reopened dialogue.
"Of course the major event was the summit meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in Woodside, California, on November 15th, 2023. The two leaders agreed that despite our differences, we had to be talking to each other. And so we've done that ever since," said Burns. "That is what diplomacy is all about."
Burns pointed out four topics that have been a key focus of dialogues with his Chinese counterparts: restoring military to military communication, developing shared A.I. policy, stopping the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China, and enhancing US-China student exchange.
“There are just under 300,000 students [from China] in the United States. They are welcome in our country. Our door is open. We issued 105,000 new student visas to Chinese students last year,” said Burns. “It is a good thing to have young people studying together and speaking each other’s language.”
Still, there are only 850 Americans studying in China — a low number that has not rebounded after the pandemic.
