Douglas H. Paal
{
"authors": [
"Douglas H. Paal"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "asia",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "AP",
"programs": [
"Asia"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"North America",
"United States",
"East Asia",
"China",
"Taiwan"
],
"topics": [
"Economy",
"Trade",
"Foreign Policy"
]
}Source: Getty
Trump Affirms One-China Policy in Call With Xi
After a period of uncertainty, the Trump administration is now pursuing a more pragmatic policy toward China, at least with regards to the One China policy.
Source: CGTN
Speaking on CGTN, Carnegie’s Douglas H. Paal evaluated the prospects of future U.S.-China cooperation now that President Donald Trump has announced that he will honor the “One China” policy.
Paal welcomed the recent call between Trump and President Xi Jinping as a significant step toward stabilizing the U.S.-China after an initial period of uncertainty. He noted that if the previous Trump administration policy of openly questioning the One China policy were to continue, it would be impossible for Xi to have a constructive relationship with Trump.
The United States has now pursued a more pragmatic approach, said Paal, which matches the Chinese posture of flexibility and adaptability that Xi has adopted in the wake of Trump’s surprise election victory last November.
Paal praised the diplomacy of China’s top two “America watchers”—Yang Jiechi and Cui Tiankai—calling their efforts highly effective.
Moving forward, Paal predicted that future cooperation will depend on Trump’s perception of whether China is willing to significantly adjust trade and investment patterns to create jobs in the United States.
About the Author
Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program
Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
- America’s Future in a Dynamic AsiaPaper
- U.S.-China Relations at the Forty-Year MarkQ&A
- +1
Douglas H. Paal, Tong Zhao, Chen Qi, …
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie China
- Can China Turn Its Small Modular Reactor Ambitions into Commercial Reality?Article
China has showcased its engineering prowess with small modular reactor demonstration projects. But turning these technological achievements into commercial success will be a greater challenge.
Tong Zhao
- The Plaza Accord and Its Relevance for ChinaCommentary
The Plaza Accord was not an externally imposed punishment of Japan but part of a broader restructuring that Japanese economists and policymakers themselves recognized was necessary. Its effects were undermined, however, when Tokyo responded to the resulting slowdown with policies that exacerbated investment, credit expansion, and the very imbalances the adjustment was intended to resolve.
Michael Pettis
- Untangling the Nuclear Knot: A Constructive Agenda for Managing China’s Nuclear Relations with the United States and Its AlliesPaper
The nuclear relationship between China and the United States is increasingly shaped by widening perception gaps rather than deliberate strategic design.
Tong Zhao
- Who Paid for China’s Last Debt Cleanup, and Who Will Pay for the Next?Commentary
China’s banking crisis in the 2000s was resolved by transferring the costs to households through financial repression—a decision that recapitalized the banks while exacerbating the structural imbalances that continue to shape the Chinese economy today.
Michael Pettis
- Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. SanctionsCommentary
Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.
Xue Gong