I think Pottinger's speech is very welcome in these very dark times. I haven't seen China-US relations this bad since June 4, 1989. And I think they are actually worse - the problems are much broader and deeper, more difficult to resolve. I would guess that the Chinese audience (whomever they are in the end) would appreciate the attempt of a leading US official to speak to them in Chinese, even though they can't agree with all he says. I think his speech is a win for the US and for diplomacy (though it probably won't change much in the long run - perhaps the good will expressed will help with the trade war phase one deal, and that would be important in and of itself.