US

Two nations, linked forever

By Zhao Kejin (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-25 15:12

BEIJING - The idea of attaching less importance to the Sino-US relationship has been gaining in traction in China recently.

Some believe China's foreign agenda should focus on its neighboring areas, while others believe that Beijing could take advantage of the difference between the Europe and the US in dealing with global and regional policies. These ideas may vary, but at their core, both sides believe China can bypass the US and strengthen its strategic strongholds through diplomatic means.

I would like to say that these views, to one degree or another, are based on incorrect readings of trends around the world. These views were also the result of a superficial understanding of the US and its status in the world.

My view is that over the long haul, the US is still a crucial factor that China cannot ignore or bypass in its diplomatic agenda. The Sino-US relationship plays a direct and even decisive role in China's future.

As the world embraces globalization and technological revolution, both China and the US benefit a lot from these two trends. With its technological advantages, the US has been the only superpower in the world. Although the Iraqi war and the global financial crisis have weakened it, the US' status as the world's No 1 nation remains and can hardly be challenged fundamentally.

As a large emerging and developing country, China boasts some advantages at the low-and-medium end of the global industrial chain. Thanks to globalization and advancing levels of technology, China's exports and economy have grown rapidly. Its comprehensive strength is increasing. The US needs China's support on lots of global issues and this trend cannot be reversed in the long run. On the other hand, what China needs from the US is still more than what the US needs from China in the coming years. For the sake of pushing forward modernization, the most important priority of China's strategic agenda is that China cannot just ignore the US on international issues such as terrorism, the financial crisis and climate change as well as regional issues such as Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Meanwhile, as a historical wisdom by the US, taking strict precautions against potential challengers around the world is its strategy. As China becomes the second-largest economy in the world, nearly every administration of the US will definitely make every endeavor to confine China's rise. Indeed, where China's power is seen, there will also be the US' touch of influence. When China strengthens its diplomatic efforts, dealing with the US is unavoidable.

As a result, taking the globalization and the strategic interaction between China and the US in consideration, the essence of the Sino-US relationship is healthy competition and at its core is strength. The basis and precondition of the relationship are a series of regulations and rules. The only way for this relationship to thrive is through cooperation. In the future, the relationship could expand by extensively cooperating with each other and adhering to the rules of the game.

But there are also two precarious tendencies. One is that the two nations hold the inappropriate strategic thought of adversaries. In both China and the US, there are some restless souls. In the US, saying good things about China will be accused as kowtowing to Beijing. In China, those who exaggerate the threat from the US are lauded as patriots but those who do not point their fingers at the US are accused as traitors. Put quite simply, it is easy to accuse each other but difficult to understand each other.

The other thought neglects competition between the two countries. Some people, who have pinned high hopes on the Sino-US relationship, hold overly optimistic views and underestimate Washington's ability to make changes quickly. These are unrealistic diplomatic goals. In simple, US diplomatic ties with China is, at best, a tradeoff of interests. Competition will be a long-lasting theme between the two nations that have different cultures and values. Neglecting competition between the two is a naive thought.

All in all, relations between China and the US will proceed on a sound and positive track so long as the two nations are not worried about healthy competition between each other, work toward cooperation and properly handle diplomatic strategies toward each other. Relations with the US will for a long time play a determinative role in China's development.

The author is the deputy director of the center for Sino-US relations at Beijing-based Tsinghua University.

For China Daily