Given the level of mutual distrust between the two governments, and the fact that US President Joe Biden will be leaving the White House at the start of next year, the visit by his national security advisor to China would not normally carry much weight.

Yet such is the volatile state of China-US relations at present that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's invitation to Jake Sullivan to visit for "another round of strategic communication" has caught much attention.

Whether Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris or former Republican president Donald Trump wins the US presidential election in November, stable, predictable bilateral ties would prove more preferable than otherwise. Which is why, since the present state of the relationship is to a great extent the outcome of a growing "trust deficit", the Sullivan visit is being viewed as an important opportunity for the two sides to compare notes and perhaps ensure that Washington has a clear understanding of Beijing's position.

Considering both Beijing and Washington have clearly articulated their respective positions on key matters of concern, any breakthrough is unlikely. But it may make a difference later, if the two understand each other's strategic purpose in potential crisis scenarios.

From the Russia-Ukraine conflict to that in the Middle East, to the Taiwan question and the South China Sea tensions, misjudgment is considered a real and present danger. Sullivan's visit would certainly be worthwhile if the US were subsequently to stop smearing, framing, pressuring and blackmailing China. That may be too much to hope for. But given how far apart they are on so many things, what matters at this stage is not how much agreement they can find on specific issues, but rather how much willingness they retain for communicating and crisis management.

Beijing's vision of cooperative bilateral ties is patently at odds with Washington's more confrontational zero-sum viewpoint. But that keeping talking to each other still seems to make a lot of sense for both sides despite all the differences that keep them apart, it is still an encouragement for those looking for something positive to hold on to.

The Biden administration has largely taken over the Trump government's mantle when it comes to China policy, even though Trump as the Republican presidential candidate has blamed Biden for being weak on China and vowed to get tougher should he be elected. That the two US parties are on the same page to some extent when it comes to China was underscored by Democratic candidate Harris on Thursday, when, upon accepting her party's nomination, she pledged to make sure that "America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century".

Sullivan is expected to raise such US concerns as alleged Chinese support for Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine, as well as its approaches to the Taiwan and the South China Sea issues. But for Beijing, the invitation has been extended so it can express its serious concerns about the US not honoring its commitments. It will take the opportunity to urge the US to not support those seeking "Taiwan independence", not politicize economic and trade issues, and not undermine the Chinese people's right to development and China's strategic security.

Beijing wants to focus more on its conviction that Chinese and US visions for the future don't have to be mutually exclusive. Chinese President Xi Jinping told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in April the two countries "should be partners rather than rivals", and should help each other succeed rather than hurt each other. Beijing wants the US to uphold the consensus reached by the two heads of state in their San Francisco meeting last November, and to orientate its China policy in accordance with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation proposed by China's top leader.

Those principles are the distillation of the practical lessons that China has extracted from history that peace and stability are the prerequisites for development. It thus adheres to a peaceful development path, advocates for win-win cooperation, and firmly supports the international system and international order with the United Nations at its core. Sullivan's visit will therefore be taken as an opportunity by Beijing for it to urge the US to do the same.