Former US Ambassador to China Max Baucus describes the current US-China relationship as entering a new phase of 'constructive stability' driven by crisis prevention rather than trust-building. He noted the recent summit served as a guardrail against breakdown.

Former US ambassador to China Max Baucus has described the latest US-China summit as ushering in a new phase of wary “constructive stability”, with both sides focused more on preventing crises rather than building trust or meaningfully resetting their relationship. In an interview on Wednesday, Baucus said last week’s Beijing summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump served as a guard rail to prevent breakdown and escalation, while revealing the limits of the...