Time for China, US to lay positions on table
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How good can Sino-US relations ever get? After looking through the bilateral disputes in the past two years, we can know the limitations of bilateral relations development.
The US will not stop arms sales to Taiwan. It will not stop playing the Tibetan card, and it will not give up strategies aimed at containing or balancing Chinese influence in Asia. Even when a Chinese role is needed in international issues, it will not give up putting pressure on China.
However, there are issues on which China is equally inflexible. On the issue of the yuan exchange rate, China will make adjustments according to its own national conditions. It will insist on encouraging independent innovation of Chinese enterprises to speed up technological progress and economic transformation. And in dealing with the Korean Peninsula, it will put stability in this region as its top priority.
Behind these differences are the different interests of the two countries. With irreconcilable interests, it is impossible to eliminate policy differences, which limits the good relations between the two countries.
Then, how bad could Sino-US relations get?
US trade protection measures against China will cause China to take measures in response, but are unlikely to lead to a trade war between the two countries. Bilateral arguments over the yuan and the dollar depreciation will not lead to monetary war. US surveillance directed against China could trigger incidents, but is unlikely to lead to a serious conflict.US involvement in China's neighboring affairs could cause tension in Sino-US diplomatic affairs, but would not lead to derailment of the entire bilateral relationship.
The Sino-US relationship is simply "too big to fail." Sino-US bilateral interests are so great that bilateral relations cannot collapse. Both sides have learned to restrain and manage the relationship, which effectively prevent the bilateral relations from getting even worse.
Then what is the point of Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit to the US? The visit comes during the short rest time after Sino-US relations experienced a first round of rebalancing during Obama's administration.
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