Most U.S. academics agree that the U.S. and China have no choice other than to cooperate. Jonathan D. Pollack, senior China expert at the Brookings Institution, said that there are too many differences between the United States and China that cannot be easily solved, but have to be managed because China and the U.S. are in the same boat.
Douglas H. Paal, vice president for studies and director of the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, criticized the Obama administration for its failure to publicize China-U.S. cooperation on the Iran nuclear agreement and giving too much prominence to their disputes on the South China Sea issue. In his opinion, the Obama administration's inaction has caused the media to cover the bilateral relationship in a negative light.
Finding a peaceful method
Many experts think that China and the U.S. have not yet found a way to get along with each other as China becomes a rising regional and world power. Pollack said that the U.S. has to accommodate China's rise, and China has to get used to the U.S.. It has to be a two-way compromise. "China and the United States have yet to find a truly satisfactory way to manage the areas of potential competition or to find a truly satisfactory way to get along with each other on a lasting basis," he said.
Alan Romberg, director of the East Asia program at the Stimson Center, said that he does not think the U.S. opposes China's rise and that "the U.S. has understood the importance of China joining in international regimes, accepting that China would want a say in setting the rules, not just obeying them. At the same time, the U.S. did not want to see China overturn the existing order but rather looked to China to develop its positions within the basic parameters of international norms and standards."
As for Internet security, the willingness of the U.S. to work with China and other countries to establish Internet security norms shows that the U.S. is open to China's contribution to world order. But at the same time, the U.S. hopes it could exert influence on China's decisions, according to Bonnie S. Glaser, senior Asia advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.
This view is echoed by Thomas J. Christensen, author of The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power, who said that the U.S. should not block China's rise, but influence its choices so that they could benefit both countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the U.S. in September, a trip that has been seen as an important step towards improving China-U.S. relations. Romberg said during Xi's visit to California in 2013, Obama put too much emphasis on specific issues such as Internet security and missed the chance for two leaders to clarify their overall strategies. This time, Xi should clarify that China has no intention to make more aggressive moves in the South China Sea, while Obama should answer questions that China is eager to ask.
Bader said that he hopes Xi will open up to the U.S. public during his visit about China's foreign policy and its take on the current international order, norms and laws. If Xi could make a speech, it will serve as a guarantee about the stability of U.S.-China relations and let the Americans know that China's rise is positive, constructive and a stabilizing factor.
Using economic ties
Many experts believe that economic issues are key to resolving disagreements between the two powers. Jin Canrong, associate dean at the School of International Studies of Renmin University of China, said regarding the U.S. debate over China policy that "whether the participant is a political hawk or dove, the intention is to safeguard the interests of the U.S.… And when the economy is concerned, the picture can be much more optimistic."
Jin said that China and the U.S. have both fallen into the Thucydides Trap, a term used to describe the phenomenon in which a rising power provokes fear in the ruling power, thus leading to danger in both parties. The current debate is a manifestation of the fear and anxiety the U.S. is now facing.
His endorsement of strengthening economic ties is echoed by U.S. economists on China. David Dollar, senior fellow with the foreign policy and global economy and development programs at Brookings Institution, said that the two countries should turn to the economy when their political relations are tense. Economic dependence is the stabilizer in the bilateral relationship between the two countries, and as long as that is strengthened, the two countries will be able to be more confident when dealing with thorny issues.
Dollar thinks that speeding up talks on a bilateral investment treaty, which could open the doors for large amounts of investment in both directions if it addresses key issues, is an important opportunity to boost mutual dependence between the two countries. In a paper, he also criticized the U.S. for not joining the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, an important new institution in the fastest growing region of the world economy.
