Sino-US ties at a crossroads
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President Hu Jintao is paying a state visit to the United States from Jan 18 to 21 at the invitation of the US President Barack Obama. If Deng Xiaoping's historic visit to the US in 1979 set the stage for Sino-American relations and former president Jiang Zemin's groundbreaking state visit in 1997 prepared the framework and guideline for bilateral ties for the 21st century, then President Hu's visit at this critical juncture of transforming international system and China-US relations will set the tone for future ties between the two sides. In this sense, Hu's visit will undoubtedly be historic.
The dramatic ups and downs in China-US ties since Obama took office indicate they are standing at a historical crossroads. The changing relative strengths of the two countries, variations in the US' political ecology and the shift in the international system and regional framework have given bilateral ties a new meaning.
Comprehensive and profound strategic competition and rising risks of strategic contests between the two sides, if not regulated effectively and timely, may cause bilateral ties to deviate from the right path, and even lead to all-out confrontation, which is not what is desired and would certainly be agonizing for the financial crisis.
No wonder, authorities and strategic communities in both countries are trying to resolve the issues in the best possible way. Obama's visit to China in November 2009 and the China-US Joint Statement issued then can be seen as a joint effort to stabilize bilateral ties.
Hu's visit reflects the Chinese leadership's will to promote comprehensive cooperation with the US. Such reciprocal visits, together with the frequent meetings between the two sides at different multilateral gatherings, show that they are committed to maintaining peace and stability and exploring ways to deepen strategic mutual trust.
The framework that has been guiding China-US ties for more than 30 years cannot fully meet the requirements of bilateral relations in the new era. Many far-sighted US figures, including former US national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski and former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, have said that Beijing and Washington should renew their relationship framework through new political documents. So, there is reason to believe that Hu's visit will help to hammer out an overall arrangement for the establishment of a long-term and stable strategic bilateral framework.
The fluctuations in bilateral ties last year damaged the fragile mutual trust and deepened strategic suspicions. To forge a stable framework that truly reflects the will of both sides and bears long-term effects, Hu and Obama should have the ground realities in mind, although the priority for both sides now is to enhance trust and clear doubts.
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