Benefits of softer rhetoric highlighted

There has been a positive change in the United States' stance toward China since the meeting in May between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing, said David Firestein, president and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations.

"The temperature from a rhetorical standpoint has come down," he said. "I hope that we'll see some visionary leadership from both of these leaders."

He added that it is in the interest of both countries and the world that the US and China have a relationship that is "functional, constructive, results-oriented, mutually beneficial and politically sustainable".

The shift in tone is significant, as it is easier for both sides to deal with pressing issues when there is less "incendiary and provocative" language being used, he noted.

According to Firestein, President Trump and senior members of his administration, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have been using markedly warm language while speaking about China.

"I see numerous data points and evidence that show that the American public sentiment and even elite sentiment in Washington, DC, have significantly improved over the last year or so," he said. He cited the Chicago Council on Global Affairs poll that showed that a majority of US citizens want to work with China rather than see China as an enemy.

"One additional interesting data point is that young Americans in their 20s and 30s actually have a net favorable view of China. That is in itself remarkable when you consider how negative the commentary and discourse about China have been over the last six years," he said.

Firestein said this shift has occurred because people have become disillusioned with the US administration's hard-line policies that have failed to yield any positive results for the US.

Tariffs are the most obvious example, he said, adding that they haven't changed China's stance, but have increased prices, reduced US manufacturing employment and made US exports more expensive.

He said the tariff policies "hurt America first, hurt America worst".

"According to the administration itself, we lost more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs in 2025," he said, referring to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Despite the tariffs, China is still among the top three trading partners of almost all the 50 states of the US, Firestein said, other than being an important trading partner of two-thirds of the countries in the world.

"China is a really important part of the global economy and the US economy. People realize that there's no way to change that fact and still have an economy that works for the vast majority of the American people."

He noted that on many fundamental issues on the bilateral agenda, the US and China do not agree. While he's not "overly optimistic" about any major breakthroughs, he's optimistic that this summit can be productive for both sides.

"As a general rule, it's very good when the presidents of the US and China meet and spend time together and deepen their personal relationship," he said, "Even if problems don't specifically get solved, the engagement and the interaction are positive and value-added in the sense that they allow these two leaders to build up a certain level of increased trust."

There are some issues on the agenda that can be advanced in a way that is mutually beneficial, such as collaborations in trade, agriculture and health.

Firestein identified artificial intelligence as a significant area where the two countries can find common ground and mutual benefit.

"AI is an area that is obviously extraordinarily important for both countries and for the world," he said, adding that it would be an opportunity to "protect humanity from some of the potential dangers associated with the propagation and spread of AI technology".

He advocated US-China collaboration on this issue.

"It is possible for the two countries to come together for a common cause and recognize that there is a potential threat out there that is a problem for both our countries and for the world," he said. "The world would be better off if the US and China can come together — along with others — to deal with some of those challenges and set a model for constructive and mutually beneficial collaboration."