The fifth Biennial China-U.S. Relations Conference kicked off at the George Bush Presidential Library in Texas on Oct. 24 and was attended by more than 600 political, business and academic leaders from the two countries.
Viewing China-U.S. relations with new mindset
Zhang Yesui, China's ambassador to the United States, said at the conference that the two countries have markedly different social systems, values, cultural traditions as well as economic and social development levels. These differences have led to different views on certain issues and may cause misunderstanding, doubts and worries about each other's strategic intentions.
However, China-U.S. relations are not and should not become a zero-sum game. Both countries should view their bilateral relations with a new mindset and make efforts to expand economic cooperation, improve strategic mutual trust and properly handle differences and friction.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, who will soon visit China, said that the two countries have a "deep, wide-ranging and complex relationship." A healthy China-U.S. relationship is central to the future of the Asia-Pacific region and the global economy, and mutual trust and understanding are essential to the security and prosperity of both countries, Burns said.
United States' opinions on China's rapid development are complicated.
Although officials of the Obama Administration have repeated many times that they welcome a strong and prosperous China, many strategists and politicians of the United States obviously hold more complicated opinions on China's development. Robert Art, a professor of international relations from Brandeis University, said that as the economic and military strengths of China keep growing, the gap of strength between China and the United States is narrowing, and the United States' overall strategy toward the rise of China has divided into three branches: the "taking it easier" branch, "inevitable conflict" branch and "optimism-realism" branch.
The first branch believes that China actually does not want to rebuild the current international order. Therefore, it suggests that the United States should connect with China, bring China into the international system and make China a responsible stakeholder.
The second branch believes that a shift of power is never peaceful, the conflict between the two countries is destined and the rise of China will shake the current international system. Therefore, it suggests that the United States should contain China and especially prevent China from being the dominant power in East Asia.
The third branch believes that peace will not be reached automatically but conflict will not be unavoidable, and wise diplomacy and policies will be needed to cope with China-U.S. relations. Therefore, it suggests the Untied States should implement a mixed strategy of dialogue and containment. Robert Art said that he is a cautious optimistic realist, and while being interviewed by the reporter of the People's Daily, he expressed that what worries him most is that the domestic factors of the two countries may handicap the foreign policies of both.
China, United States interdependent
Christopher Layne, a professor at Texas A&M University, said that the United States is currently in "relative decline." Facing the rise of China, the United States should make a vital choice: continue to maintain its hegemony in East Asia or adapt to the rise of China. If the United States chooses the latter, it will run into endless trouble.
Robert Ross, a professor at Boston College and a researcher at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies under Harvard University, believes that the United States is not in decline, but it should deal with the rise of other major countries. He said that although China and the United States will not become allies or friends, they could become strategic competitors with broad cooperative space.
Wang Jisi, one of the hosts of the conference and dean at the School of International Studies of Peking University, said that following the gradual withdrawal of the U.S. military from Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States will pay more and more attention to the Asia-Pacific region. Against such a backdrop, China-U.S. relations will be characterized by competition, but not to the extent of a zero-sum game. Zhu Feng, a professor at the School of International Studies under Peking University, reminded Americans that Chinese society and their views on diplomatic policies both are increasingly diversified. He believes that despite the strategic competition between China and the United States, the basic nature of China-U.S. relations remains unchanged: they are interdependent.