By Tao Wenzhao
President Hu Jintao will begin his state visit to the US next
week. The visit is expected to have deep and far-reaching effects
on the development of bilateral relations.
Sino-US relations have experienced numerous ups and downs, some
quite dramatic, in the years since their normalization in 1979. As
the two countries learn more and more about each other, neither is
harboring unrealistic expectations for, or views about, the other
any more and their relations are increasingly pragmatic.
The characteristics of bilateral ties between the two countries
are as follows.
Bilateral relations are expanding.
Sino-US relations today are no longer focused just on bilateral
issues, but on regional and global ones as well. As their relations
develop and China's influence in regional and international affairs
grows, regional and global issues are gaining prominence in
dealings between the two countries.
China and the US have common interests in maintaining regional
and world peace and stability. Currently the most prominent
regional issue is the one concerning nuclear on the Korean
Peninsula. The joint statement issued at last year's six-party
talks in Beijing was an important result of joint efforts.
Though the fifth round of talks has stalled since its first
stage ended in early November last year, the Chinese side is still
trying hard to restart the meeting by pushing for reconciliation
among bickering parties.
The global issues include anti-terrorism, preventing the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and contagious
diseases. In today's world, no country can avoid the threats posed
by these problems by staying out of the heat, and the only way to
face these global challenges is by international cooperation.
One particular problem at the moment is bird flu. It has cost
the world 2 percent of its GDP so far and is still threatening the
world as it spreads from country to country. Cooperation between
the two countries on bird flu prevention was one of the focuses
during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization summit in
Pusan, South Korea, last November and also during US President
George W. Bush's visit to China afterwards.
At the press conference held in Beijing following his meeting
with President Bush, President Hu said the two countries' leaders
had agreed to push forward all-round and constructive cooperation
between the two countries, meaning they would strengthen
cooperation on all kinds of issues.
This indicates the foundation of bilateral ties is expanding and
will not let one particular problem or another wreck them. That
will enable relations between the two countries to weather any
adversity and remain stable for a relatively long time to come.
As a matter of fact, even bilateral issues have regional and
global effects. Take economic and trade ties between the two
countries for instance. China sustains an enormous trade deficit
with Japan and South Korea while enjoying a favorable balance of
trade with the US, because it imports a lot of semi-finished
products from East and Southeast Asia and assembles them for export
to the rest of the world, particularly to the US. If we look at the
Sino-US trade issue from a global point of view, it will be easier
to understand.
Bilateral relations are becoming more and more systematic.
First of all, summit meetings have become systematic. Since Bush
became US president in 2001, the Chinese and US heads of state have
met several times during formal visits to each other's country or
on the side of international gatherings.
They were able to discuss all issues of mutual interest
sincerely and frankly, learn more about each other and continuously
inject fresh energy into the forward development of bilateral
relations.
Now also systematic are joint committees on such matters as
science and technology, economy, commerce and trade. Regular
meetings of these joint committees have played an enormous role in
promoting cooperation between the two countries in various
fields.
Then there is the systematic cooperation in such areas as
education, scientific research, environmental protection and
natural disaster reduction. To be systematic is to be
institutionalized. It provides a relatively stable basis for
bilateral ties so that they will not be seriously shaken by some
unexpected event or personnel change. This is a key indicator of
development toward the maturity of bilateral ties.
The two countries are learning more about each other but,
undeniably, still have misgivings about each other. China is
suspicious of how the US treats its development, while the US is
concerned about whether a developed China will try to push it out
of East Asia and whether China will wrestle with it for East Asia
and even world dominance.
Two recent documents reflect US misgivings about China. One is
the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review published by the
Department of Defense in February, which describes China as the
country with the biggest potential to compete against the US
militarily and says that China is most likely to use destructive
technology on the battlefield that will take away traditional US
military advantage.
It also has a list of weapon systems that China could develop
and details the measures the US should take to deal with them.
Then there is the National Security Strategy Report
published in March, which devotes more pages to China than to any
other country. It acknowledges that China has developed through one
generation's efforts from poverty and isolation to integration with
the world economic system. It also says that the US welcomes the
peaceful rise of China, and that China can make important
contributions to global prosperity. It says their mutual interests
are guiding cooperation between the two countries in such areas as
countering terrorism, containing arms proliferation, energy,
epidemics prevention and environment.
However, it also raises many questions about China concerning
its defense transparency, resources exploration strategy and
political reform. All this proves the two countries still have
misgivings about each other, though bilateral relations have been
growing amid mutual suspicions in the past 27 years.
On the other hand, the existence of suspicions means the two
countries need to conduct more exchanges and communications and pay
more attention to the other's concerns and interests.
Today China and the US have reached the point where one country
can no longer manage without the other's cooperation, be it in
economy or security. And the two countries will continue to nurture
their cooperation and mutual dependence while working on dissolving
suspicions about each other.
Since last year, President Bush and other US decision-makers
repeatedly described Sino-US relations as very complex. This writer
agrees with that opinion. The complexity lies in the fact that none
of the aspects of bilateral ties can be seen as pure cooperation or
difference. Very often cooperation and difference coexist, but
usually the former dwarfs the latter.
The ties between China and the US are among the most important
bilateral relations for both countries. For they both benefit from
peace and suffer from confrontation. It's a win-win or lose-lose
situation. History has proved the two countries can make it win-win
and mutually beneficial.
The author is a researcher with the Institute of American
Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
(China Daily April 14, 2006)
