Why there’s no point in signing a fourth China-US communique

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Best way to build on US-China post-summit reset is creating practical mechanisms, not symbolic statements, veteran analyst Li Cheng says

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Shi JiangtaoPublished: 9:10pm, 27 May 2026Despite recent signs that US-China ties are stabilising, veteran China watcher Li Cheng argues that the two superpowers should not rush to sign a new joint communique, suggesting this would add little value as Washington is not upholding its previous commitments.The recent summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump produced a “dramatic change” in the countries’ relationship, Li said in an interview published by Chinese news website Guancha.cn.

“From viewing each other as enemies to positioning each other as friends – nothing is more dramatic than this,” said the professor at the University of Hong Kong’s Centre on Contemporary China and the World, praising Trump’s transactional approach and personal rapport with Xi.

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Li welcomed the shift towards framing the relationship in terms of constructive strategic stability as “pragmatic and realistic”, but expressed scepticism about a fourth communique.

“In my view, if he does not even implement the existing three communiques, what is the point of signing a fourth one?” he asked, without offering specific examples of how Trump had failed to uphold the agreements.

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Li also cautioned that pushing for a new document could provoke anti-China forces in the United States ahead of the midterm elections.

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