US' sincerity to its commitments vital to bilateral ties

President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden met face-to-face in Bali, Indonesia, on Monday. In their talks lasting three hours and 12 minutes, the two leaders agreed that it was essential that both countries take concrete steps to get bilateral ties back on a stable track.

With Biden reiterating that the US does not seek a new Cold War or to revitalize alliances against China, and that the US does not support "Taiwan independence", "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan", and it has no intention of having a conflict with China, the meeting has raised hopes that the seemingly impending free fall in Sino-US ties can be averted.

However, it is crucial that the US should back those words with concrete actions to show its sincerity. The midterm elections have given Biden a fillip as the Democratic Party did better than expected. However, it reinforced the stark divide in US politics. Although the predicted "red wave" didn't appear and the Democrats have control of the Senate, the Republicans seem likely to regain control of the House of Representatives, which will make US domestic politics even more confrontational, as well as the relationship between the Executive Branch and Congress. This paints a gloomy picture for the direction of China-US relations.