Experts say Xi-Biden call bodes well for potential China-US cooperation

BEIJING -- The telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, bodes well for potential cooperation between China and the United States, experts from across the globe have said.

Xi on Thursday morning took a phone call from Biden on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

The two presidents wished each other good fortune in the Year of the Ox, and had an in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations and major international and regional issues.

Jon R. Taylor, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said the phone call is "encouraging."

Noting there are differences between the two sides in several fields, Taylor said, "it's important to understand that they also talked about a variety of areas for potential cooperation."

Regarding the conversation as "the first step" in a long process to stabilize China-US relations and to slowly improve bilateral engagement, Taylor said, "it's a welcome start given the past four years of (former US President Donald) Trump's increasingly antagonistic language and actions toward China."

Similarly, Xulio Rios, director of the Observatory of Chinese Politics in Spain, said the high-level telephone conversation will help the two sides move in the same direction.

To stabilize bilateral relations and avoid strategic misjudgement, China and the United States should respect each other's core interests and broaden the cooperation agenda, said Rios.

Criticizing the former US administration's hegemonic obsession that has led to a stalemate situation, Rios called on the Biden administration to outline a possible alternative for US relations with China.

"The fact of the two leaders having a phone call is a good thing" because "relations between the two countries are very important," said Ali el-Hefny, Egypt's former ambassador to China and former deputy foreign minister.

Despite some differences that are to be expected, China and the United States have a lot of interests in common, el-Hefny said, adding that "it is important for the United States and China to overcome differences through constant dialogue, consultation and communication."

"History has witnessed the importance of Sino-US cooperation," Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation Jeffrey Greene said.

"The proven history of friendship and cooperation dramatically demonstrates that by working together our two countries can overcome any obstacles and achieve any goals and successfully work together to benefit all the world," Greene said.