Agree that terrorists are terrorists. So long as the US sees terrorists in China as possible freedom fighters, there is a big problem. Agreement on the other hand would allow the two major powers to work together in stemming the jihadist madness.

Remember that the Cold War is over, and that China is not a stand-in for the Soviet Union.

The six basic planks for developing a new bilateral relationship with China represent an affirmation that China is an economic partner, sometimes a competitor but not an adversary. Critics might consider the proposed approach na?ve. But the naivet��, if it succeeds, will save the US from grief. In contrast, when Americans charged into Iraq expecting a liberating hero's welcome, that naivete cost the US dearly, with the last count exceeding $1 trillion and close to 40,000 casualties.

The world will thank Obama for the legacy of at least making one part of the world safer than he found it. And he can then rightfully be a Nobel laureate.

The author is a former director of New America Media. chinausfocus.com

(China Daily 11/07/2014 page10)