The new normal of China-US relations
- By An Gang
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E-mail Beijing Review, January 8, 2016
Indeed, the scope of China-U.S. cooperation has extended to a global level. However, the risk of strategic collision of the two countries is on the rise, while bilateral competition for the upper hand in writing international rules is clear.
At the same time, the influence of domestic politics on China-U.S. relations is increasingly transparent. The interest groups that have an impact on the direction of the relationship are pulling the two in opposite direction, with the number of obstacles increasing.
Against this backdrop, the furthering of China-U.S. relations requires more than traditional diplomatic solutions.
In spite of palpable tensions, the strategic goals of the two countries are not fundamentally opposed, but somewhat parallel with one another: They have no intention to dominate each other, and aiming for interdependence and mutually beneficial cooperation is still their best policy choice.
The year 2016 will witness the regional leadership election in Taiwan as well as the U.S. presidential election, meaning the bilateral relationship will endure more tests. When the new U.S. president takes power in January 2017, the United States' China policy could dance to another tune. Democrat or Republican, the new resident of the White House is likely to start with a "tough on China" policy in reaction to domestic pressures.
But the China-U.S. relationship is too important to be defined just by perceived competition. The leaders of both sides need to speed up the development of the relationship into a more mature one that can sidestep the Thucydides Trap with concrete cooperation and newfound trust.
The author is an op-ed contributor to Beijing Review and a researcher at the Pangoal Institution
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