Her reference to the ancient Chinese aphorism "tongzhou gongji", "when in one boat, help each other," received enthusiastic resonance from Premier Wen Jiabao and the average Chinese alike.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (1st R) meets with visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (1st L) in Beijing, China, Feb. 21, 2009.[Liu Weibing/Xinhua]

In her tune-setting Feb 13 speech at the Asia Society, Mrs Clinton declared a rising China is not an adversary by definition, and the two countries can benefit from and contribute to each other's successes. And she found us in a common boat.

In Sun Zi's The Art of War, from where the aphorism derives, capable commanders can make all soldiers, brave or cowardly, fight courageously by throwing them into a situation where they have to. That is exactly where our two countries are. The commanders here are the financial crisis, climate change, and many more. Given the inter-dependence between our economies, as well as our impacts and responsibilities as two of the world's largest developed and developing economies, we have to get together. And since our countries are unlike the ancient enemy states of Wu and Yue, we can certainly achieve more than crossing the river.

Talking about tackling climate change and other global challenges, Mrs Clinton evoked another Chinese proverb, saying we should not "linke juejing" or "dig a well when thirsty". Huang Di's Internal Classic, the oldest Chinese medical classic which spawned this proverb, prescribes advanced planning. It is too late, it says, to act when symptoms of illness are obvious, and chaos is a fact in society, just like digging a well when thirsty.

Mrs Clinton's Asia trip was defined as a "listening tour". She has listened to many, including ancient Chinese wisdom.

Everyone managing sino-US relations needs such wisdom to cultivate strategic insight.

(China Daily February 23, 2009)