When U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit in June 2013, Xi proposed the two countries forge a “new model of major country relations.” The two leaders emphasized the need for mutual understanding and trust as key vehicles for cooperation. 

In a panel moderated by Rui Chenggang of CCTV Carnegie’s Douglas H. Paal, Christopher Johnson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, former Chinese ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong, and Yang Jiemian of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the U.S.-China bilateral relationship. 

Strengthening the U.S.-China Relationship 

Panelists agreed that the relationship between the United States and China has been shrouded in misunderstanding that has led to distrust. Developing channels for clear and constant dialogue between the two powers is essential, they asserted.

  • Increasing Military-to-Military Exchanges: Panelists stated that military-to-military exchanges are crucial to building trust between the United States and China. One panelist explained that counterparts should be in contact with one another to ensure an equal level of military-to-military exchange, both in terms of rank of participants and the quantity and quality of the exchange. 
     
  • Transparency About Core Interests: Panelists agreed that mutual understanding between the two powers requires understanding the key interests of the other side. One panelist noted that Xi and Obama’s agreement to form a new type of great-power relations is an important step, since defining the nature of the relationship is an essential foundation for building a constructive framework. 
     
  • Focus on Areas of Success: U.S.-China dialogue too often becomes mired in contentious topics such as territorial disputes, panelists said. Several added that the two nations should focus on areas where successful cooperation is attainable. One panelist offered climate change as a potential focus and suggested avoiding issues where both sides may perceive the other as having a hidden agenda. However, they added that such issues can not be overlooked, and should be closely managed through nuanced, high-level dialogue.

A History of Distrust

  • Reasons for Distrust: One panelist suggested that China’s history of being colonized is an important factor in its skepticism toward other countries, particularly world powers. Another countered that China’s distrust is a remnant of its Cold War mentality. Panelists agreed that China needed to overcome its distrust in order to achieve better cooperation. 
     
  • Master Plans: One panelist explained that both the Chinese and U.S. publics believe the other country has a “master plan” of containment. To counteract these misperceptions, another suggested that increasing diversity of media coverage of China would allow the U.S. public to have a more accurate and improved perception of China, and the same for increased diversity of coverage in the United States. 
     
  • Avoid Topics Without Desirable Outcomes: Chinese and U.S. participants agreed that inflammatory issues such as the Diaoyu/Senkaku territorial conflict, cybersecurity, and North Korea should be avoided in order to foster a positive relationship. However, they added that these issues could not be overlooked and should be closely managed through nuanced, high-level dialogue. 

Opportunities for Cooperation

Panelists evaluated the channels available to the United States and China for building positive relations, focusing on expanding trade through the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership (TTP) and cultural exchange. 

  • Economic Benefits of TTP: Two panelists emphasized that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is not a tool intended to balance against China’s growing economy or limit China’s involvement in the dynamic East Asian market. They added that China was welcome to join and there would be a number of monetary and political benefits for China if it did join the TTP. Another scholar countered by suggesting that perhaps the United States still valued competition over cooperation and needed to address this mentality in order to move forward with improving relations with China. 
     
  • Role of Soft Power: Panelists agreed that increasing cultural exchanges between the two countries is one avenue to improving relations. However, another panelist pointed out that even this was unbalanced as there are more Chinese students in the United States. Another panelist responded that there were a number of scholarships and campaigns to encourage U.S. students to study abroad, especially in China.