In 1843, the American President, John Tyler, signed a letter addressed to the Chinese Emperor Daoguang which says:

"The rising sun looks upon the great mountains and great rivers of China. When he sets, he looks upon rivers and mountains equally large in the United States Now, my words are, that the Government of the two such Great Countries should be at peace. It is proper, and according to the will of Heaven, that they should respect each other, and act wisely."

The letter was carried by the US ambassador Caleb Cushing, who failed to reach Beijing to deliver it to the addressee.

We see two things clearly from the words of President Tyler. First, the US has, for the last one and a half centuries, been eager to contact and engage China. Second, it has been a stated American desire that the two "Great Countries" should "respect each other, and act wisely", maintaining peace and tranquility.

There has been a sea change since these words were penned. True, the US is still eager to contact and engage China, but it is no longer a one-way traffic as was the case in the 19th century. China has shown equal, if not more, eagerness in contacting and engaging the US since China adopted a policy of reform and opening up in the late 1970s.

Thomas Friedman's famous description that the US and China are "Siamese twins" is reverberating in this country, evoking such observations like "The USA and China have become Siamese twins - we will crash together." "Our economies (of the US and China) are entwined and if the Chinese bubble should burst we (US) will lose a substantial market, which will drive the American economy down further. There is no (US) upside to a Chinese downside." "No, right now the worst thing we can do is alienate the Chinese or start a trade war with them; it wouldn't really impact them much at all, but would guarantee a collapse of the US financial system - and probably the US government as well."

That no force on earth should and could break the US-China Siamese twins is a consensus conclusion today. But, how this has happened has not been fully understood, let alone appreciated. The long story of interdependence between the two "Great Countries" of President Tyler's accolade can be succinctly retold.

It all began with China's desperation to embrace globalization belatedly by sacrificing not only sweat and blood, but also agricultural lands (being converted into workshops), oxygen of the urban centers (being replaced by carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide) as well as many other Chinese assets. The "great mountains and great rivers of China" alluded to by President Tyler used to be "qingshan lushui" (green mountains and blue rivers) to Chinese writers and sight-seers. No longer. Where have they disappeared? They have gone into the inexpensive and good "Made in China" which the Americans have enjoyed for two odd decades and continue to enjoy today.

On the American soil, "sunset industries" have been outsourced to China, consumerism has been pampered, Americans have shied away from the secondary industry - especially manufacturing simple consumer goods - as well as mathematics and science subjects, and over-spending has become the order of the day. Then, as the Americans became broke, the Chinese have been their money-supplier via the treasury bonds. This is the Catch-22 today for both the countries. China would suffer if the US finances collapse, while the US would suffer if China bursts like a bubble.

Should China blame America for exploitation of not only its cheap labor, but also its treasured environment? But, it was not the US, but China which has voluntarily got itself into the mess. By the same token, the US should not blame China for its own folly. Conversely, the US-China Catch-22 has also brought gains for both countries. Both have become much richer. The getting-rich effect has benefited a larger number of people in China than in the US. This is because of their uneven starting points and their different sociopolitical systems and ways-of-life, not because of unjust deals.

A consequence that is shared by both the countries is that a microscopic minority - about 1 percent of the population of both the countries - have gained enormously from this US-China Siamese-twins equation. Wall Street, in particular, has loved this development of the two "Great Countries" becoming inseparable Siamese twins.

Wait a minute, I have not talked about the second aspect that has come out clearly from the words of President Tyler - the American desire that both the US and China "should respect each other, and act wisely". To spell this out involves a historical survey of US-China relations from the second half of the 19th century up to this day. I hope my US readers would agree with me that our world has gone through a long course of a dishonorable scramble for power and hegemony resulting in immense suffering of humanity, especially among the Asians and Africans. The record of the US is a mixed bag in this historical period.

The US has a laudable record of sacrifice and contribution to the making of a brave new world from the ruins of World War II, but has also committed mistakes and crimes which have been chronicled. Many Americans have acknowledged the Chinese suffering from the repression and bullying of the Western powers. In short, the US has, by and large, observed reverse of President Tyler's pledge of respecting China and acting wisely.

Going back to the issue of the US-China Catch-22, I have alluded to the fact that 1 percent of the population of both countries have profited enormously from it. The Chinese have tolerated this, even if increasing complaints and protests are surfacing. The Americans, however, are infuriated. There has been the Tea Party movement, which is still gathering momentum. Now the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is spreading.

Meanwhile, US politicians, especially the law-makers many of whom are self-serving careerists who are eager to appease populist sentiment for their own survival, are increasingly shortsighted and embracing "American exceptionalism," including xenophobia. Some have started targeting "Made in China" or the allegedly low value of the renminbi - blaming it for the loss of jobs in the US. Rationality, which has been the precious asset of the US spirit, is going down the drain.

Let me go back to President Tyler's undelivered letter to Emperor Daoguang once more and reiterate his observation of the two "Great countries" of the US and China that is shone upon by the sun day and night. In this regard, I am enticed to quote the adage from the Chinese Confucian classic Liji (Book of Rites) that "the sun and moon are never partial while shining upon the earth" (ri yue wu sizhao).

Both Confucius and President Tyler convey the same message in their solar analogy. The spirit of this universal justice and impartiality makes both China and the US "Great countries," indeed.

Great countries distinguish themselves by invention, creation and production, not by running down other countries. A comment quoted earlier is absolutely right by saying there won't be any US upside by bringing about a Chinese downside, and vice versa.

The US-China Siamese-twins equation predestines a win-win as the sole option for both countries. The US and China should respect each other and act wisely.

The author is an academic associate of the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago. The opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily 10/28/2011 page8)