Calling for “reciprocity” is not making China or the West happier

RARELY IN THE history of China’s contacts with the West have so many powerful people, in so many capitals, agreed that relations must be guided by the principle of fairness. When President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, give speeches that touch on Sino-American ties, the calls for mutual respect, shared benefits and avoiding double standards come thick and fast. The Europeans sound just as keen on fair play. In recent years the leaders of France, Germany and European Union institutions have led smaller powers in a sustained chorus, telling China that Europe is open for business, as long as it is on a basis of reciprocity. To quote France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, speaking in 2018 in the old caravan stop of Xi’an, the “new silk roads” proposed by China cannot run in only one direction.

A striking number of the ideas that fill officials’ speeches and the communiqués of summits come from the world of trade law. There is much talk of level playing-fields and non-discrimination. Yet a puzzle lurks. This focus on fairness is not making either side any happier. In the grim assessment of a veteran diplomat in Beijing, the last time that relations between China and the West were this bad was 1990, just a year after the crushing of democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.