The depth, breadth and fruitfulness of the seventh China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the sixth China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange were unprecedented and unexpected for some observers, who are used to reading reports on disagreements and tension between the two countries.

The gap between the spreading negative perception of China-U.S. relations and the often-ignored mutually beneficial nature of their relationship has long been a paradox; more so because China talks more about the positive sides of the bilateral ties than the U.S. administration, not to mention the media. Moreover, the public impression tends to underestimate the real strength and potential of the bilateral ties.

In today’s globalized world, China and the U.S. have huge stakes in each other’s success. They have one of the world’s largest trading relationships, with annual trade worth more than $550 billion. Two-way investment has reached about $100 billion and continues to soar, while about 4.5 million visitors travel between the two countries each year.

Meanwhile, the two countries are also working together on regional and global issues such as climate change, and as such, a win-win partnership, not rivalry, defines their relationship. They are certainly not on a collision course.

As the world order undergoes profound changes, China and the U.S. have a responsibility toward their own peoples, as well as the rest of the world, to pursue a stable and healthy relationship. The latest S&ED in late June was encouraging precisely because it represented the bilateral relations as they should and will be.

Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, said strategic trust holds the key to a strong and durable China-U.S. relationship. Trust inspires positive expectations, with which major issues can become minor ones, whereas the absence of trust only invites problems. That is why China is fully committed to working with the U.S. on the mutual trust issue.

The academic communities in both countries have a vital role to play in building this badly needed trust.

The news media, too, plays a significant role in China-U.S. ties. My friends who work in the American news media have said there is a serious need for more interaction between the two countries’ media. Despite the overwhelming increase in China-related reports, they say, knowledge about China remains inadequate, which often puts things in the wrong perspective.

Our American friends say that, as the presidential campaign in the U.S. intensifies, rhetoric on China will get more aggressive, making the domestic environment even harsher for the development of bilateral ties. We are fully aware what election politics means for the U.S., but we still hope that its political leaders will bear in mind the importance of having a sound relationship with China in the long run and not do anything to undermine the fragile trust, so that we can together cultivate healthy and stable China-U.S. ties.

The author is a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Foreign Policy Advisory Committee. Courtesy of chinausfocus.com