China and the United States have agreed to hold regular, senior-level talks on a whole range of political and economic issues. 

Given the breadth of issues it will touch on, the dialogue will usher in healthier bilateral relations.

More communication secures better understanding.

Two opinion polls by Zogby International show mixed perceptions held by Americans about China.

One poll indicated that the public and business community increasingly view China in a positive light. A majority of respondents from the general public and business leaders agreed that low-cost Chinese goods benefited US consumers and that bilateral trade was good for both countries.

The poll, commissioned by the Committee of 100, a group of prominent US citizens of Chinese descent, found 59 percent of ordinary Americans held a favorable view of China, up from 46 percent in a survey taken in 1994.

Only 24 percent of the public saw China as an economic threat, and 15 percent regard the country as a military menace.

Despite lots of problems in bilateral relations, the two peoples have been getting to know each other better since China opened its doors to the outside world.

However, the opinion on Capitol Hill paints a different picture of China.

The other survey by Zogby International found that 54 percent of Congressional staff saw China as an economic peril, and 36 percent view our country as a military danger. Only 19 percent of Congressional staff think of China in a positive way.

It is not difficult to conclude that Congressional staff are markedly more hawkish on the question of whether China is an economic and military threat. They expressed a tougher tone on whether the United States should intervene in the event Taiwan declares independence, and if a war breaks out.

Zogby International polled 203 US opinion leaders and 1,202 American adults at random in December last year. The agency then surveyed 101 mostly senior Congressional staff members and 150 American business leaders in March 2005.

The two surveys send a mixed message from the United States. The opinion from the Capitol carries more weight on policy making in the US than that from the public.

Still, the latest developments in bilateral relations are encouraging. With a rational acknowledgement of China's growth, the second Bush administration has fine-tuned its Asia policy.

The two countries have showed due respect for each other's role in world affairs.

Studies on modern management show that 70 percent of the mistakes people make in their work are because of too little communication.

That also applies to bilateral relations. Misunderstandings and mistrust are a hotbed for friction, which can poison bilateral ties and regional, world stability at large.

The positive signs relating to Sino-US relations show timely and smooth communication between the two countries at a high level. Also, it is a display of mutual respect for each other's diplomatic aspirations, although differences do persist. It is a rational and constructive attitude.

The more we communicate, the more we gain.

(China Daily April 15, 2005)