Heart-to-heart for healthy ties

Sixth Strategic and Economic Dialogue can guide China and US' new model of relations between major countries back on track

The sixth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue is being held on Wednesday and Thursday in Beijing. Vice-Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, as special representatives of Chinese President Xi Jinping, are going to co-chair the dialogue with the special representatives of US President Barack Obama, the US Secretary of State John Kerry and the US Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew.

The S& ED was designed for both sides to sincerely communicate with each other on long-term strategic questions and it aims to find ways to overcome the economic and strategic challenges facing the two countries, although it is more concerned with approaches rather than the specific means.

The growing maturity of the S& ED means it now has a clear path and enjoys greater efficiency, as more experiences have been gained with each of the previous five dialogues. The two sides know they are supposed to clearly evaluate the progress they have made in their relations and set objectives for building on that progress, review regional and global situations and explain their relevant policies, and, where possible, coordinate their policies for more solid cooperation on key issues of mutual concern.

This has become feasible because China and the United States have become more confident about expressing their true feelings and opinions in the discussions, which helps constructively manage crises and differences through a sincere and forthright exchange of views.

On June 25, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a special hearing on US-China relations, at which Daniel Russel, US Assistant Secretary of State on East Asian and Pacific Asia, said that the two countries had already established flexible, complementary and meaningful bilateral relations, and clearly denied any confrontational thinking.

Russel has also been very candid in making clear the US' views on the South China Sea and East China Sea disputes, which echoes a senior Chinese military officer's comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last month, when he said that China can hold frank exchanges with the US.

The dialogue is also covering a wider range of issues, which include seeking common ground on the actual situations in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iraq, as well as the nuclear programs of Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and of course the disputes in the East China and South China seas. Cooperation is gaining momentum not only on broader issues such as a global economic recovery, climate change and clean energy, but also on combating social challenges including terrorism and trafficking of endangered species.