Expert insists redefining talks crucial

A leading China expert and renowned US economist has urged President Joe Biden's administration "to actively consider a more constructive approach" in relations with China.

"Many people believe around the world that given the broad bipartisan support for marshaling negative pressures on China by the Trump administration, that this is unlikely to change as we now move to a new administration and presidency under our 46th president, Joe Biden. I reject that," said Stephen Roach, a Yale senior fellow and former Morgan Stanley Asia chairman, in a video speech aired during Thursday's Vision China virtual event.

A priority for the Biden administration is to redefine the nature of the United States' dialogue with China, Roach said. He envisions a permanent office to "house the relationship between the second and first most important economies in the world".

"I call this the secretariat, located in presumably a neutral country or jurisdiction, staffed by high-level officials and researchers with responsibility for data sharing, framing joint policy proposals, shepherding negotiations on those proposals," he said.

Roach said this full-time office would also engage in all aspects of the US-China relationship: from trade and technology to cybersecurity, visas, consulate staffing and people-to-people exchanges.