Amid tension, China’s new ambassador wants to get US relations ‘on track’

China has a new ambassador to the United States. His name is Xie Feng. He spent time in Washington earlier in his career, and was most recently the vice foreign minister in charge of overseeing policy toward the U.S.

Both China and the U.S. hope Xie’s experience will help improve diplomatic relations between the two nations.

After arriving at New York’s JFK airport on Tuesday, May 23, Xie told reporters, “At present, the Sino-U.S. relation is facing serious difficulties and challenges. My appointment means to me more than honor, it’s a great responsibility.”

Difficulties and challenges? Xie is being diplomatic already. Sino-U.S. relations have never been great, but the most recent divisions escalated after Russia invaded Ukraine last year and President Xi Jinping backed Vladimir Putin.

Then Nancy Pelosi went to Taiwan in August. China responded by encircling the self-governing island with warships under the guise of military drills.

But when President Joe Biden gave the order to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon in February, the Sino-U.S. diplomacy train derailed as well. Merely days ago, Biden called the whole incident “silly.”

Xie’s appointment is seen as a chance to hit the reset button. The 59-year-old is fluent in English, and was assigned to China’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., twice before. But he’s no pushover.

He decried Biden’s decision to down the spy balloon, said the U.S. is creating an “imaginary enemy” in China, and previously issued a list of demands for the U.S. to meet if it wants to improve relations.

Still, China hasn’t had a U.S. ambassador for months, which obviously makes it hard for the two governments to talk. So, the mere fact China appointed an ambassador is seen as a move in the right direction.

Why the change now?

Over the course of the last year, the United States announced military partnerships with numerous Pacific nations to counter China’s growing military might. Among the more notable agreements: Australia is getting nuclear-powered submarines, Japan is getting Tomahawk cruise missiles and Taiwan is getting pretty much everything short of nuclear weapons. Also, the South Korean and U.S. militaries have never been closer. In late April, both countries said they would strengthen their decades old defense agreements.

Beyond military considerations, though, there are substantial economic factors to consider. The Chinese economy makes up almost 20% of global GDP. That’s more than any other country, including the U.S. And who are China’s biggest trade partners? The U.S. is right at the top of the list along with South Korea and Japan.

Other economic factors for Xie to consider: the fight over microchips, U.S. efforts to ban Chinese-owned companies from operating in the U.S. and the Chinese crackdown on U.S.-owned businesses like Micron.

It’s no wonder the U.S. was almost as eager to welcome Xie to his new role as he seemed to be stepping into it.

“We hope that the United States will move in the same direction with China,” Xie said. “We hope that the United States will work together with China to increase dialogue, to manage differences and also to expand our cooperation so that our relationship will be back to the right track.”

Reuters contributed to this report.