Joint Fight Against Cancer Can Help Re-Energize U.S.-China Ties, Kevin Rudd Says
Russell Flannery, Forbes, December 5, 2022
At an online symposium, Kevin Rudd, CEO of Asia Society, highlighted the significance of collaboration between the U.S. and China in the fight against cancer as a means to revitalize their relationship. Following the recent summit between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping at the G20 gathering in Bali, Rudd emphasized the potential positive impact that successful cooperation in battling cancer could have on the overall U.S.-China relationship. Prior to the summit, the bilateral relationship between the two nations appeared to be deteriorating, but efforts were made by both leaders at the Bali meeting to stabilize ties.
During the symposium organized by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group, Rudd mentioned the need for a security safety net in the U.S.-China relationship as emphasized by Xi Jinping. American leaders are also advocating for strategic guardrails to protect each side’s strategic red lines while engaging in managed strategic competition. Rudd underscored the importance of stabilizing the relationship by addressing critical national security concerns like Taiwan, while allowing for non-lethal strategic competition in other areas.
Rudd highlighted the room for collaboration in cancer research and treatment between MSK, CTONG, regulators, and businesses in alignment with President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative. The goal is to find a cure for cancer and advance the trialing of advanced cancer treatment drugs to save lives globally. The symposium, which had over 20,000 online viewers in China, also discussed international clinical trials, liquid biopsies, biomarker technology, and lung cancer treatment, shedding light on the importance of global cooperation in combating cancer, a disease claiming millions of lives annually worldwide.
