'Data point' revealing of China-bashers' zero-sum approach to ties, nothing more - 2026-07-28
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, a bipartisan congressional delegation of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which visited China earlier this month on a "fact-finding" trip, after a seven year gap, was given the "cold shoulder" when it tried to engage with China's leading technology companies.
Mike Kuiken, vice-chairman of the commission, acknowledged the setback, stating that "We were not able to secure many of the meetings we sought, including with some of China's leading technology companies, and that is itself a data point".
According to a news release issued by the commission last Saturday, the delegation visited Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai but was unable to meet with many on the Chinese side that it wanted to. The lack of access is indeed a major, albeit predictable, "data point" for the commission, as the fact-finding mission was intended to help shape the commission's annual report to the US Congress.
But the fact that the US congressional delegation was allowed to visit China at all speaks volumes about Beijing's pragmatic approach to managing the complex relationship between the two countries.
The visit came after US President Donald Trump's visit to China in May, during which the two sides agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability. In light of this, the two countries are preparing for more high-level exchanges later this year. By giving a green light to the visit by the delegation of the US body, Beijing signaled its willingness to engage with the US side in good faith.
That the members of the delegation — despite being some of the harshest critics of China in Washington — were allowed to gain firsthand experience of the country was in the hope that direct observation might help the commission discard the outdated assumptions and biases that underpin Washington's anti-China policies.
Chinese tech companies' reticence to meet the delegation is telling, but not for the reason the commission suggests. Some senior US officials have recently publicly said that they will investigate the so-called "distillation" of US cutting-edge models by Chinese AI companies and may sanction Chinese companies for "stealing US intellectual property".
Such claims are absurd. China's Ministry of Commerce has dismissed them out of hand, pointing out that the US is politicizing and instrumentalizing science and technology issues, stigmatizing Chinese companies and imposing sanctions on them for various unwarranted reasons. This disregards the fact that Chinese companies' AI models are released very close to the time of US cutting-edge models and that some Chinese models have leading capabilities and some US companies have distilled Chinese models.
Given the commission's track record, the idea that leading Chinese tech giants would warmly welcome such a delegation is wishful thinking. For these companies, engaging with the commission seems to be a strategic minefield as the risk of providing ammunition for future sanctions far outweighs any potential benefit from candid dialogue.
Hence, rather than a "snub", the cold shoulder the delegation reportedly received was a predictable act of self-protection and a clear message that Chinese enterprises are wary of becoming "data points" for a body whose primary function is to set obstacles in the way of normal business interactions between the two economies with "security" being the pretext. The cold reception was not confrontational or hostile, but rather a reminder that the US side needs to reflect on the way it deals with China-related issues.
For the commission to play a constructive role, it must evolve from being a purveyor of zero-sum narratives to a body that promotes mutual understanding. The path forward lies in recognizing China's legitimate right to development and technological self-reliance. Instead of expanding blacklists and imposing unilateral restrictions, it should advocate policies that expand the list of cooperation, especially in areas of mutual interest.
In general, over recent years, there has been a significant change in China-US relations, especially their economic and trade ties, as they have become more equal-footed and are no longer in a situation where the US can wield a big stick without consequences.
The takeaway from the delegation's visit is a "data point" that reveals more about Washington's own strategic misjudgments than about China's intentions.
Source: China Daily
