Sailing Sino-US relations with stabilizing levers

Editor's Note: The symposium on the Future of China-US Relations was conducted by China Daily's Opinion Channel, the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese Association of American Studies on Thursday. Several experts from both China and the United States shared their views on the theme. Below are excerpts of their speeches.

Cooperation is the 'why not' moment for China and US

By Siddharth Chatterjee

Today, we face five major challenges unprecedented in the postwar era.

First, the pandemic has exposed the fragility of human health and global health systems.

Second, we are grappling with a triple climate crisis: climate change, loss of biodiversity, and climate refugees.

Third, there are around 80 ongoing conflicts in the world. Fourth, 800 million people are suffering from hunger. Fifth, inequality is widening, whether it is digital, income or quality of life.

A mother in Beijing, Washington, Nairobi or Mali shares the same aspirations for her children: better education, improved nutrition and greater opportunities.

For the first time after World War II, over 170 million people have been displaced because of conflicts, climate change, poor governance, despondency, poverty and other factors.

Having served for 30 years in the United Nations, I firmly believe that the Global Development Initiative presents a massive opportunity for companies from the United States, China and Europe to come together and transform Africa.

The potential is boundless, and limited only by our imagination. Consider how Russia and the US collaborated on the vaccine that eradicated smallpox.

If scientists from the US, China, Germany, India, Russia and other countries work together, we could probably develop vaccines that can prevent future pandemics.

The Sino-US relationship, the most consequential relationship of the 21st century, has the capacity to manage these global challenges that affect everybody across the world.

I speak not as an American and not as a Chinese but as a global citizen with three decades in the UN.

If the US and China can collaborate on the Global Governance Initiative proposed by China at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting last year, the potential is promising.

So why not? Why don't we see the Build Back Better Act of the US and the Global Development Initiative and Global Governance Initiative of China coming together for a transformative change?

To conclude with the remarks of George Bernard Shaw, who said: "You see things; and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?'"

This is the "why not" moment for China and the US.

Siddharth Chatterjee is the CEO of Global Neighbours and former United Nations Resident Coordinator in China. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.