Editor's note: The American Chamber of Commerce in China held a seminar on "The Next US President and Beyond" in Beijing on Wednesday. The following are excerpts from the speeches of four participants:

Hope for positive Sino-US ties

James Zimmerman, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China

This US presidential election has been about the rise of unconventional candidates. And it is not only in the United States but also over issues such as Brexit that unconventional candidates are rising in many countries. This should make us realize that people have anxieties about their future. This is a global trend, and no country can be immune to it. So China has to pay special attention to the underlying anxiety among people in the US.

The US and China are the largest and second-largest economies in the world, and they need to work together. The two economies are highly integrated and interdependent. Therefore, the questions being raised on globalization are a cause for concern for their leaderships, especially because the Sino-US relationship has to be constructive and positive.

Uncertainty over new policies

Paul Haenle, director of Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy

Many Chinese scholars have come to the conclusion that Donald Trump is better for China (than Hillary Clinton). They like Trump because he talks about the US growing inward instead of continuing its leadership role in the world. When he says the US has exceeded its reach in the Middle East and that he will not pay much attention to Asia, it sounds good to the Chinese.

In reality, however, we have very little understanding of what Trump's China policy will look like. During the presidential campaign, he used very general and broad political rhetoric to appeal to the voters. This rhetoric worked. It got him elected. But now, he has to select his cabinet and key advisors, and devise comprehensive policies on key areas. Until that has been completed, there will be a lot of uncertainty about future China-US ties.

No one likes uncertainty, and even though many Chinese like Trump because he has indicated the US could pull back from Asia, the Chinese leadership doesn't like surprises. Trump's threat to impose a 45 percent tariff on imports from China would also threaten the interests of US exporters that need access to foreign markets, as well as US businesses that rely on commodities or products made overseas.

Other countries could retaliate in ways that are damaging to US interests. This kind of rhetoric might make voters feel better during the campaign but my own view is that such an approach will not work in practical terms. Imposing such a large tariff could actually hurt Americans as much (if not more) as China and would in that sense likely be a case of cutting our nose off to spite our face.

I do expect a tougher posture by the incoming Trump administration on issues related to international trade and commerce, including a major push for reciprocity in bilateral economic relations. But only time will tell how specifically this will be implemented.

Watch closely the US' new normal'

Randal Phillips, vice-chairman of American Chamber of Commerce in China

For the "new normal" seen in China under President Xi Jinping's leadership, you get a bigger "new normal" in the global economy that the US is following.

No matter what trend plays out globally, there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the system that made a lot of people feel left behind by globalization. Issues such as trade rules, investment and the environment do exist, but governments have not responded to them. A lot of change is going on that is quite destructive.

Usually, what a candidate says and does before and after election are two different things. It could be a tale of two Trumps when it comes to what his presidency will mean for China. When it comes to strategy, the US seems to offer China a number of things that it could face itself later. If Trump imposes 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports, as he said during the presidential campaign, the US could face similar tariff on its exports to China, leading to a destructive trade and investment environment. This "new normal" should be watched more closely.

When it comes to the environment, we want the two countries to become greener. They should also become wealthier and stronger by following the global rules we all accept. They have not yet done that, but we hope they will.

Vital role to play in globalization

Xu Yang, chair of the Chinese Government Affairs Committee, American Chamber of Commerce in China

A lot of stabilizers exist in the China-US relationship. As the new leadership takes office in the White House, it will hopefully establish a new mechanism for the two major powers to interact and cooperate. And China's outbound investor swill surely help forge that mechanism by discussing market access with their US counterparts.

Trade protectionism is not a new issue; the trend is returning in many countries across the world. The G20 leaders and trade ministers promised at the Hangzhou summit in September to make globalization more inclusive so that small and medium-sized enterprises and many people left behind by globalization can participate in it and enjoy its benefits. The incoming Trump administration in the US will have a very big role to play to make that happen.

(China Daily 11/14/2016 page9)