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Aug 18 2010
Warped lens distorts healthy Sino-US relations
By
Editor's Note: Sino-US relations are among both the most important and the most tangled in the world. Are the conflicts and contradictions between the two countries structural or tactical? Has the way they see each other changed, or are both nations still stuck in the past? People's Daily (PD) interviewed Yang Jiemian (Yang), president of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, Yuan Peng (Yuan), director of the Institute for American Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, and Zhao Kejin (Zhao), deputy director of the Center for US-China Relations at Tsinghua University, on these questions.

PD: What do you think of the conflicts and contradictions between China and the US?

Yuan: The situation in the past 30 years indicates that, "fluctuations, twists and turns" have been close to becoming a basic law of Sino-US relations. This is determined by the two countries' natures.

China and the US have different civilizations, social systems and structural contradictions, and the two countries are at different stages of development. The only way to carry the relations between such two countries to a new stage is to face the conflicts and contradictions and then gradually resolve them.

Moreover, the international society often links the game between the two countries with the rise and fall of great powers and a new world order, exaggerating the seriousness and danger of Sino-US competition.

In addition, media hype and the strategic miscalculations caused by the lack of effective communication have also aggravated the problem. It's very dangerous.

Zhao: The Sino-US conflicts are not irreconcilable structural conflicts, but nonstructural ones that any two countries would certainly encounter in the process of developing closer relations. Specifically, there are three kinds of conflict.
First, the conflicts stemming from regular interaction. These conflicts emerged in the process of interactions, such as trade conflicts and exchange rate disputes. With the development of Sino-US relations, these kinds of conflicts will be regular.

Second, the conflicts over rights. Such conflicts, such as the North Korea nuclear issue, Iran nuclear issue, the regional cooperation in East Asia and climate change, stem from different expectations of the rights of international participation and the distribution of rights.

Due to the limits of national strengths and capacities, China and the US have different expectations of the distribution of international rights and responsibilities, thus conflicts and contradictions are inevitable.

Third, clashes of thinking. This kind of conflicts come from ideological and value divergences, like the issue of Internet freedom. In the context of economic globalization, such conflicts are not a zero-sum game, but involve some common interests. These conflicts could be eliminated by active communication and consultations.

PD: What opportunities and challenges will China's rise bring to the US?

Zhao: China's rise could bring the US more opportunities than challenges.

China is rising against the background of globalization, and it's integrating into the US-led international system and becoming an important force in maintaining global peace and stability.

Although China will not ally with the US, it could still be the US partner in global affairs.

Even the most conservative US strategists admitted that China and the US, both having benefitted greatly from globalization, have a huge amount of mutual interests in dealing with global challenges.

Meanwhile, the two countries are at different development stages, and their economic structures, advantages and resources could greatly complement each other. Cooperation is advantageous for both, while conflict harms everyone.

PD: How should China and the US carry out cooperation in the post-financial crisis era?

Zhao: As the US economy is gradually recovering, Sino-US cooperation in the post-financial crisis era will be characterized by a combination of cooperation and competition.

Economic cooperation will continue to witness in-depth development.

As for strategic competition, there will be more tests of bottom line. The US, in order to gain more interests, will be sure to change its soft diplomatic maneuvers used in the financial crisis, and turn to stronger stances.

The US will spare no effort to provoke conflicts on many issues, trying to seek more profits through exerting pressures on China. Meanwhile, the US intends to test China's strategy in this period. Through repeatedly challenging China's strategic bottom line, the US can adjust its China policies accordingly.

Yang: Sino-US cooperation has extended from the bilateral and regional level to global and institutional level.
Meanwhile, the needs for and difficulty of strategic cooperation have grown. The two countries are more aware of and have a greater willingness to coordinate on global matters, but there are still many difficulties in transferring common challenges into common interests and actions. The two sides are adopting more strategic prevention on issues like Taiwan.

Therefore, the two sides will readjust and redefine their compromises, acceptances and tolerance, and gradually form new rules for the way they interact.

PD: How should China and the US see each other?

Yuan: China regards the US as the only country that can influence China's peaceful development at every level, thus China always puts Sino-US relations on a position above all others. In order to realize modernization as soon as possible, China has long regarded US as an example and has been learning the US institutions and technologies and absorbing capital and talent.

Recently, since the balance of the two countries' strength is changing along with the transition of the international system, Chinese people's mentality is changing, too - they have become more confident and proud.

While in the US, after the 9/11 attack and the financial crisis, Americans have been less confident.

In this context, China's national strength and strategic intentions are exaggerated, and the normal demands of the Chinese people are simplified to be "China's new arrogance."

Yang: The attitudes of China and the US toward each other have multiple facets. The two firstly regard each other as partners in economy and trade fields, dealing with common security challenges, coping with endless urgent issues, and maintaining the peace and stability in the Asian-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, the two societies regard each other as examples - Americans admire the profound Chinese traditional culture, and Chinese people admire US society's creativity and tolerance.

However, the two countries also regard each other as competitors.

China maintain sharp vigilance against what it believes are US attempts to interfere in China's internal affairs and break up China under the pretext of democracy and freedom, while the US is fully alert to what it believes are China's intentions to challenge the US.

This leads to simplified and unreasonable conclusions, which result in interpreting the other's statements and actions through the worst possible lens and then reacting accordingly. 
 

Source of documents：Global Times


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