Symbiotic Relationship

The worlds two largest economies， China and the United States， mark the 35th anniversary of their diplomatic relations on January 1. In the years since 1979 many questions have been asked about this crucial relationship， most notably what are the obstacles and in what direction is the relationship developing？ Selected Chinese scholars and diplomats share their thoughts on these and other questions. Excerpts follow：“Cold war is better than real war， trade war is better than cold war and negotiations are better than trade war.”

The late Chinese leader Mao Zedong is often quoted as saying relations between countries should not only look good， but also be mutually beneficial. For the complicated Sino-U.S. relationship， the economic and trade bonds between the two is as Mao said. The abundant accomplishments achieved during the 24th China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade held in Beijing in December 2013 are proof that there are more common interests between the two despite differences.

The common economic and trade interests between China and the United States are evident as they have already become one anothers second largest trading partner. Chinese statistics show that bilateral trade volume reached $484.7 billion in 2012， more than 200 times that of 1979， when the two countries established their official relationship. Though Sino-U.S. trade conflicts always attract attention， the conflicts show that the trade relationship between the two countries has achieved great developments. They also reflect that the existing management system has failed to adapt to further development of the bilateral trade relationship. Thus， negotiations are needed to remove barriers.

There are common interests between China and the United States， but that doesnt mean the interests of the two countries are completely in accordance. Chinese President Xi Jinping has said， “The Pacific Ocean is broad enough for the two powers of China and the United States.” The two countries should both have the confidence and capacity to manage their differences and build， maintain and develop a constructive， competitive and negotiable relationship. Whether for these two countries， or the world at large， cold war is better than real war， trade war is better than cold war and negotiations are better than trade war.

In many cases， differences between the two countries are caused by some political factions in the United States imposing their views on China， but these views are often untenable and the common interests between China and the United States are“The Sino-U.S. relationship is not an issue concerning only the two countries， but it also concerns the whole world.”

After 35 years of development， SinoU.S. relations have reached an unprecedented high. Even U.S. politicians Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski， the major promoters of the establishment of Sino-U.S. diplomatic relations， feel positive about the current close relationship between the two countries.

The highly interdependent economic and trade relationship is the most characteristic part of the Sino-U.S. relationship. Cultural exchanges have also helped enhance mutual understanding. Chinese people are interested in U.S. culture. For instance， Hollywood movies and U.S. pop music are very popular in China. Also， Chinese culture is gradually finding its way into U.S. society. “Mandarin fever” is emerging in the United States in tandem with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy. In 2010， the U.S. Government decided to send 100，000 students to study in China over the following four years.

With frequent top-level meetings and consultations on the platform of the ChinaU.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue， mutual learning has been enhanced and political trust is deepening. But one thing that should be noted is that learning does not mean understanding. What the two sides need to do is deepen understanding on the basis of learning.

Generally speaking， the Sino-U.S. relationship has undergone a phase of mutual economic interdependence and entered a phase of mutual economic and political interdependence. In the next phase， it should develop into comprehensive mutual interdependence on economy， politics as well as security.

However， the development of the Sino-U.S. relationship is not linear. Problems and differences still exist between the two countries.

The trade deficit is one of the most important factors affecting Sino-U.S. relations economically. The United States should avoid politicizing economic issues. To a great extent， the unfavorable balance of trade is caused by the United States itself. On the one hand， many Chinese products exported to the United States are actually produced by U.S. enterprises in China； therefore， the profit also flows back to the United States. On the other hand， Washington imposes high restrictions on hi-tech exports to China， which also contributes to the trade gap. The two countries could cooperate in many fields regarding cutting-edge technology， such as exploring outer space together.

In recent years， with the rise of China and the relative slowing down of the United States， the two countries once again entered a period of adapting to each other in the Asia-Pacific region. By reading too much into Chinas defense policy， the United States can easily make strategic misjudgments， while its rebalancing strategy causes China to naturally become more de- fensive. This problem needs to be resolved as China and the United States seek to develop a new type of relations between major powers.