XI JINPING IN THE US

SINO-US RELATIONS

Seoul needs to pursue diplomatic balance

The Korea Times, February 16, 2012

South Korea paid much attention to Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington just as other countries did since Sino-U.S. ties are a key factor in ensuring peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia as well as across the globe.

Xi won an extraordinary welcome from U.S. leaders this week. He deserved it not only because of his status as China’s next leader but also because of his country’s rapid ascendance to the world’s No. 2 economic power. His visit was aimed at deepening ties with America before he succeeds President Hu Jintao as Communist Party leader late this year and becomes president in 2013.

Xi and U.S. leaders reaffirmed their commitment to forging a better bilateral relationship, despite differences over many issues such as human rights, trade imbalances and the Syrian problem. President Barack Obama told Xi on Tuesday that strong cooperation between the two countries is good for the rest of the world, welcoming Beijing’s rise. But he did not miss the chance to say that China should play by the same trade rules as other major global powers, urging the Asian giant to improve its human rights record.

On the other hand, Xi responded that the United States must respect the interests and concerns of China, while positively assessing Washington’s policy of playing a bigger role in the Asia-Pacific region.

Better ties between the two countries will certainly depend on how to step up collaboration while making joint efforts to overcome differences. In fact, the U.S. and China are economic and trade partners. Simultaneously, they are rivals on military and security issues. It is contradictory for the two to strengthen cooperation and check each other at the same time.

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