Experts hopeful of improved dialogue

Provocative talk

"It also has involved, unfortunately, Taiwan. Talking very loudly, even if you are not wielding as big a stick as you need, that is, to my mind, provocative and, in many ways, counterproductive."

Lieberthal also questioned US policy toward China on technology and universities. He said the approach is "increasingly driving Chinese talent away rather than attracting it".

"It is worrisome to see how they kind of move against the things that we have always tried to protect," he said.

He noted that it is the basis of government decision-making in terms of understanding what is going on in China, and the biggest role of scholars is "being able to explain with credibility and in detail and in a nuanced fashion" on what is going on in China.

In a panel discussion, Jan Berris, vice-president of the National Committee on US-China Relations, emphasized the significance of people-to-people exchanges.

"Over the past five decades, we have built up, I believe, a deep web of people-to-people relationships," she said, adding that it is why people-to-people relationships "must get better" as the nations' relationship worsens.

"Unfortunately, the exodus of China scholars from the United States has diminished recently, clearly because of COVID, but also probably equally so because of things that we've done in the United States. The China Initiative, the anti-Chinese racism, I was going to say perceived, but also real threats of violence."

Elizabeth Economy, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, said one definition of the "guardrails" for US-China relations is just about "preventing the relationship from spiraling down into kinetic conflict", which is focused primarily on State Department diplomacy or military-to-military relations between defense departments.