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Current Affairs

‘We really do not trust each other’: former US envoy foresees wary new phase in China ties

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…

By Samantha Johnson / May 22, 2026

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 superpowers’ ties.

But for a relationship long defined by fierce competition and deep mutual distrust, that limited outcome was precisely the point, said Baucus, who served as US envoy to Beijing from 2014 to 2017.

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“Two big countries, two different systems, we really do not trust each other,” the former Democratic senator said. “Constructive stability is more crisis prevention … Both sides want to stabilise the relationship, prevent it from getting any worse.”

His assessment came as Xi hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, just days after Trump’s visit, underscoring Beijing’s continued strategic alignment with Moscow even as it seeks steadier ties with Washington.

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Noting that both sides framed bilateral ties as moving towards “constructive strategic stability”, Baucus said the new language pointed to a holding pattern rather than the beginning of a durable thaw.

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