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THE WAY FORWARD FOR US-SINO TIES

Jing-dong Yuan

Asia Times, January 23, 2009

In his inaugural speech, United States President Barack Obama vowed to seek greater cooperation among nations to confront global challenges such as climate change, poverty, terrorism and nuclear proliferation. Crucially important for the success of this welcome call for a return to multilateralism will be how his administration manages US-China relations.

Fortunately, in this regard the Obama administration inherits sound US-China ties, mainly due to the recent efforts of the Chinese leadership and the George W Bush administration. Unlike the rather tense beginnings of some previous administrations, where issues like Taiwan, human rights and trade cast a shadow over bilateral relations, Beijing and Washington can start by consolidating a relationship which has matured well over the past three decades.

Today the United States and China are partners in many areas, ranging from energy and the environment to the "war on terror" and combating nuclear proliferation. Over the past few years, a series of strategic dialogues on security and economic issues has been established which ensures regular consultations between US and Chinese leaders on bilateral, regional and global issues which affect their interests.

But Sino-US relations also face some serious obstacles, and how effectively these are managed during the Obama administration will have far-reaching global and regional ramifications.

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