The U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday revealed that earlier this month, Chinese fighter jets made an "unsafe" interception of an American spy plane above the Yellow Sea. This information was released as Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on a state visit to the U.S. The Department of Defense behaved like petitioners demanding that Chinese leaders solve their problems. [Special coverage]
On the same day, the Newseum, a popular museum about news media in Washington, DC, displayed large banners calling on the Chinese authorities to "release human rights defenders in China." Forty-four prominent writers and public intellectuals also issued an open letter to Xi regarding human rights issues.
These troublemakers often choose important timing so as to attract the attention of leaders and the public. This applies to both China and the U.S. They are not so naïve as to believe Beijing will compromise, while the Pentagon just wanted to vent its spleen.
These "petitioners" have generated some meaningless attention. Some even viewed their performance as a criterion to assess Xi's U.S. visit, which is nothing but a joke.
Xi's U.S. visit will result in deep communication between the world's two biggest powers.
During his stay in Seattle, Xi practically touched upon all sensitive issues between China and the U.S. He talked about China's current economic performance and its currency policy. He also mentioned the fluctuation in China's stock market. This has been the most authoritative description of the Chinese economy that American society could hear of.
Xi also reiterated China's firm stance in maintaining cyber security and said China will ensure the legal rights of overseas NGOs in China. The rule of law and the anti-corruption campaign will be carried forward. American society expects confirmation from the Chinese leadership over these issues.
Many people believe the current Sino-U.S. relationship is undergoing some strains. Some worry that the two may be dragged into a Thucydides' Trap. There is insufficient evidence for such worries, but bad historical experience is lingering in people's minds.
Xi did not dodge the issue. Instead, he was quite bold. He stressed that "there is no Thucydides' Trap" but that strategic misjudgment between major powers would be a means of entrapment.
As Xi and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama haven't so far met each other on this trip, some low-level officials and the public have shown narrow-mindedness.
This is certainly not the entire U.S. There are fruitful results after Xi's trip to Seattle. The Xi-Obama summit, which is likely to guide international relations in the 21st century, will take place in Washington, DC.
The two leaderships will make efforts to solve strategic distrust and miscalculations.
