Year of cooperation marks US, China relations(2)

A column published in the Dec 6-12 edition of The Economist said China's territorial disputes are largely zero-sum, as the country's aspiration for regional leadership challenges the US naval supremacy in the Western Pacific.

"Little so far suggests that any American leader would be willing to lose," it said.

However, Cheng Li, director of the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, said China's adjustment in foreign policy has demonstrated a growing maturity, although the disputes will not go away.

"The wisdom of leaders, the growing interaction among nations will help make the views more mature, and leaders will get a better understanding of the framework of China-US relations," Cheng said.

Another clashing area lay in cyber security. In May, the US announced an indictment against five Chinese military officers on allegations of cyber theft. Beijing demanded the US to withdraw the "purely groundless" indictment and suspended work on a joint cyber security work group.

Cheng urged the two countries to find a way out of the cyber security issue and resume dialogue, "the early the better".

"This is a totally new area that is characterized by the fact that whoever launches preemptive strike gains huge advantage. It is hard to know where the threat comes from, it could be just a lone wolf, and the consequences of cyber attack is unimaginable," he said.

Despite sharp public disagreements, the two sides have still managed to advance substantive cooperation. The situation started to "take a clear turn for the better" in July after the sixth round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue reaffirmed joint efforts in boosting exchanges and tackling problems.

In November during the convention of the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Xi took the "home-court" opportunity in Beijing to renew their California cordiality with visiting US counterpart Barack Obama through the signing of landmark pacts on visa extension and climate change.

Observers said the leaders of the two states might better understand each other through personal communication so as to minimize suspicion and miscalculation, and finalize cooperative deals.

"As the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters, China and the US declaring their post-2020 reduction targets have injected 'adrenalin' to next year's Paris Climate Convention Conference, where a binding global agreement will be adopted," said Wu, the Fudan University professor.

"We have also seen efforts from both sides to simplify visa application, fight against terrorism and corruption and advance investment treaty negotiations," he added.

Breakthroughs also took place in the military sphere, which is often marred by strong mistrust. In July, China for the first time participated in the US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise. Last year, the two defense authorities also established a mutual notification mechanism for major military activities and a standard of behavior for air and sea safety.

"Washington and Beijing are now in a turbulent period of seeking new interactive paradigms as a result of changes in national strength and areas of interests," Wu said.

"Identifying bottom lines for competition and further managing differences to ensure stability will be major tasks for both countries next year," he added.

Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center, believes China and the US have the ability, as well as the expertise with the people, to manage this "complicated, mutually beneficial, and dangerous" relationship successfully.

"The US will need genuine receptivity to China as a maker of norms and the builder of institutions, while China has to be transparent and specific about its propositions," Daly said.