Building political trust is essential for China-US ties

The conciliatory remarks by senior officials of China and the United States on Friday, after the conclusion of the second round of the China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in Washington, should have enabled those worrying about the deteriorating bilateral relations to let out a sigh of relief.

The trade frictions that have strained bilateral ties in the past several months are evidence that much needs to be done to promote political trust between Beijing and Washington.

Thus it was reassuring to hear US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tell a joint news conference immediately after the meeting that: "The United States is not pursuing a Cold War or containment policy with China, rather, we want to ensure that China acts responsibly and fairly in support of security and prosperity in each of our two countries."