US secretary of state Hilary Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Beijing, the last leg of her four-nation Asia tour, for talks with Chinese leaders on Feb, 20. Many are interested in what she will bring for US-China relations.

Right before her departure, Clinton said the US didn’t see China on the rise as an adversary. To the contrary, the Obama administration believes that the US and China can benefit from and contribute to each other’s successes. She also added that it was in both countries’ interest to work hard to build on the areas of common concerns and shared opportunities.

In her talks, she evoked the ancient Chinese adage Tongzhou Gongji, meaning “when on a common boat, cross the river peacefully together.” which describes the situation in which the US and China now find themselves and calls for concerted effort in overcoming difficulties.

People around the world show great interest in Clinton’s maiden visit to Asia as US Secretary of State, her trip to China in particular. The headline on Washington Post reads: China is at heart of Clinton’s trip. Major opinion polls in the US show China is the grand finale of her four-nation Asia trip.

Sino-US relations now have three features:

First, China and US have become stakeholders in terms of bilateral trade, a common destiny to share fortunes. Niall Ferguson, a US professor coined the term “Chimerica”. “Chimerica is a fantasy country that I dreamt up a couple of years ago. It’s the economy you get when you add together China plus America,” said Ferguson.

Annual bilateral trade revenue has hit 300 billion US dollars, making China the US's second largest trading partner following Canada; over 5000 Chinese and American travelers are flying across the Pacific. As Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo noted vividly common interests have tied China and US closer and closer together.

Secondly, the bilateral ties have gained more and more global importance and influence. China and US have developed a partnership on the issues of nuclear enrichment activities in DPRK and Iran, anti-terrorism and anti-proliferation, as well as global warming, energy safety and global economic recession.

Clinton has taken Todd Stern, the climate change envoy in Obama’s administration along with her, and will visit a clean energy plant that is a joint project between China and the US. Further cooperation for clean energy and a reduction of green house gases are some of the major objectives of Clinton’s visit.

Finally, democrats and republicans have acknowledged a “one China” policy, understood China’s core interests and major concerns and viewed China’s revitalization with a more rational, objective and peaceful mentality. A republican president opened the door for further cooperation between the two countries and a democratic president realized full diplomatic relations. China joined WTO during the Clinton administration; Beijing and Washington became stakeholder and constructive partners and established over 60 dialogue mechanisms when Bush was in power. The Obama administration said that the new US government is willing to have wider, more proactive and cooperative relations with China. Clinton said prior to her trip that she would hold talks with Chinese leaders on how to promote and broaden a high-level dialogue mechanism between US and China.

Generally speaking, China-US relations will be following a period of chillness before heading towards normalization. Now, the two countries enjoy smooth bilateral relations and face many common challenges. With Obama’s new diplomatic thinking and Clinton’s deep understanding on the importance of US-China relations, the bilateral ties, hopefully keeping clear of all the obstacles resulting from power change in the US, will achieve a smooth transition and fast development.

By People's Daily Online