Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
As China’s new leader, Xi Jinping, and reelected U.S. President Barack Obama begin to build their relationship, the two leaders will be presented with a host of potential conflicts and areas to work together.
The fundamentals of U.S. policy toward Asia will stay the same in the second Obama term, but Washington and Beijing should still work to overcome their mutual distrust.
The leadership transition in both the United States and China has provided fresh opportunities for both countries to put aside differences and work together on issues of global significance.
The United States and China must find ways to cooperate if the rebalance of American policy toward Asia is to succeed.
Increasing Chinese interest in the U.S. political system presents an opportunity to improve Sino-U.S. ties, but also puts a spotlight on tensions and misunderstandings between the two countries.
Leadership transitions in China and the United States, combined with mounting tensions in the bilateral relationship, could have far-reaching consequences for both countries.
If the U.S. presidential candidates' rhetoric toward China remains negative, it could erode the public support needed to maintain long-term cooperation between Washington and Beijing.
China has played a significant role in the foreign policy discussions surrounding the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
China has often been a rhetorical target in U.S. presidential campaigns, a trend that could have damaging ramifications on bilateral relations in the future.
The heated U.S. presidential election, coinciding with China’s once-a-decade political transition, has led to increased scrutiny of U.S.-China bilateral relations.
