China, US should ‘try every tool’ to ease lingering concerns over lack of trust, experts say

“This demonstrates that the US and China have become mutually suspicious, increasingly hostile states,” he said.

“Each government thinks it is protecting the status quo and its legitimate rights. But since the other government’s behaviour is what is disrupted, each side perceives its own actions as legitimate and defensive.”

Russel said that without dialogue, trust and transparency, relations between Washington and Beijing were trapped in a downward spiral and questions would be raised over the other’s strategic intentions, prompting deep concern from neighbouring countries.

“A crisis could very well lead to a conflict despite neither side wanting it,” he warned.

The assessment came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a high-stakes trip to Beijing two weeks ago, easing some of the bilateral rancour that had stalled high-level diplomatic dialogue for almost five months since the US shot down what it said at the time was a Chinese spy balloon.

Last week, the Pentagon said the Chinese balloon, which crossed the continent from Alaska to the east coast in February, did not collect any intelligence information.

In another move that may further ease tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, Beijing announced on Monday that US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen would travel to China on Thursday.

While the latest high-level interactions between Beijing and Washington are widely considered positive to other countries in the region that fear being caught in the political crossfire between the two powers, deep concerns remain over the lack of high-level dialogue between the two militaries, diplomats and observers say.

Peter Tan, Singapore’s ambassador to China, said Blinken’s visit to Beijing was “an encouraging development”, causing “some cautious optimism” in the region.

However, the two sides should “maintain open and effective channels of communication … regardless of whether these channels and platforms are conducted in the public domain, or behind closed doors”, he added.

“Dialogue is the basis for building mutual understanding and bridging differences,” Tan said.