1. U.S. CHINA RELATIONS: HOW AN ESTABLISHED
POWER MEETS A RISING POWER?
Keshav Prasad Bhattarai
Amidst so many irresistible and uncomfortable developments from global trade to strategic
developments in Asia especially from Middle East to East Asia, the fourth round of U.S.-China
Strategic and Economic Dialogue(S&ED) held in Beijing on May 3-4, concluded in a note of high
hopes and more encouraged. The number of agreements reached and expressions made by the
leaders of both countries demonstrated their deepened concerns and commitment in managing their
bilateral relations and meet global challenges so far.
The U.S. - China S&ED deliberations carries more significance as it was the last such meeting that
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would be
attending in their present capacity. Both of them have articulated their unwillingness to join Obama
administration if President Barack Obama is re-elected in the next presidential election.
But the nature of their different political values nearly collided when U.S. and China were preparing
for the dialogue on economic and strategic issues confronting both countries. Unexpectedly, a
trickiest and embarrassing situation developed between them overshadowing the whole gamut of
S&ED following the case of a noted blind Chinese human rights activist - Chen Guangcheng, who
dramatically escaped from a rigorous house arrest and sneaked into U.S. embassy in Beijing.
Mr. Chen a 40 years old blind lawyer, was confined in his home village of Dongshigu in Shandong -
500 kilometer away from Beijing after serving a four years jail term for his opposition to China’s
one child policy. Although it is yet to be disclosed how he could manage to escape from his prison
like confinement and was able to take refugee at U.S. Embassy in Beijing for about a week, the
Chinese officials took it as clandestine U.S. conspiracy against China.
Therefore, just one day before the high profile deliberations, the infuriated China’s Foreign
Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said that the U.S. official by using “abnormal means” helped Chen
Guangcheng, a Chinese citizen sneak into U.S. Embassy in Beijing. China claiming it as U.S.’s

2. interference in its domestic affairs the Spokesperson asserted that China will never accept it and
demand U.S. to apologize to it.
However, both side sensed the magnitude of their squabble and therefore made immediate efforts
to downplay their differences over the dealing of the Mr. Chen’s case over far bigger issues that
were waiting for them on the table from global economy to uncomfortable political development and
security threat from Middle East to North Korea. They did not lose their time and reached a deal
satisfactory to both sides behind the curtain to let the blind human rights activist to leave his
country to further his study in the U.S.
Similar event had taken place in February when Wang Lijun, one of the country's top cops had
similarly entered at US consulate in Chengdu, after he was dismissed as the chief of Chongqing's
police department by Bo Xilai - the party secretary of the province.
Wang’s removal from office and his sheltering at U.S. consulate triggered a fiery investigation that
revealed the involvement of Bo’s and his wife’s in corruption and even murder of a business partner.
This led Bo Xilai –the charismatic senior Politburo Standing Committee member of Chinese
Communist Party, stripped off the position of powerful secretary of the Chongqing. Mr. Bo who
also happens to be the son of one of the eight great leaders of China - Bo Yibo, a key colleague of
Mao Zedong, was supposed to be elevated in the next round of leadership change by the end of this
year.
GREATEST QUESTION OF 21 CENTURY: HOW AN ESTABLISHED POWER MEETS A
RISING POWER?
While the whole world was impatiently looking at USA and China and was anticipating the possible
conflicting course of their future relations that would rightly begin from Chen’s case at the center
and China’s tough reaction against the U.S. government, the senior officials of both countries
succeeded in moving forward as if nothing had happened.
They were able to persuade each other over their strategic intention and the choices available.
Immediately they came to realize that any failure on their part to live up with an integrated
globalized economy and sustain their normal relation in an election year would make the leadership
in both countries pay dearly for it. They agreed they had no other choice available to them than to
down play the issue and live up with the coordinated and cooperative strategic actions that will

3. deepen trust and reduce tension between the world’s two largest economies as well as major
military powers.
Therefore, both sides exhibited proverbial restraints and the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic
Dialogue concluded highlighting the will of both nations to build their relations strong enough to
meet the challenges of their economy. Chinese President Hu jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and the the
Vice President Xi Jinping, likely successor of President Hu made their best efforts to make the
S&ED move ahead as envisioned.
The crucial remarks made by the Chinese President and U.S. Secretary of State during the S&ED
deliberations displayed their overriding concern on their mutual relations. The concerns they
articulated and the agreements they reached if could be defined and followed up in the same spirit
with more comprehensive bilateral accords and the tangible stages of implementations they need ,
it could indubitably give global peace, security and prosperity a new dimension.
President Hu, attending the last such meeting in his presidency appealed both the U.S. and China to
“break the traditional belief that big powers will conflict each other, and seek new ways to develop
relations between major countries”. He also called both sides to advance with time in their thinking,
policies and actions and asserted that the strategic choice of “the path of peaceful development”
“is a solemn commitment China has made to the world” and hence “will never be changed”.
Secretary Clinton exhibited similar enthusiasm at a press conference held at the end of two days
session, repeated what she said during the S&ED course that “the United States and China are
trying to do something that is historically unprecedented, to write a new answer to the age-old
question of what happens when an established power and a rising power meet. And for the United
States, we see this as an opportunity, not a threat. We look at the future with great optimism. And
we believe that neither of us can afford to keep looking at the world through old lenses, whether
it’s the legacy of imperialism, the Cold War, or balance-of-power politics. Zero sum thinking will lead
to negative sum results”.
In her opening remark too, Hillary Clinton highlighting the importance of U.S.- China strategic and
economic dialogue said that the S&ED process has gained more significance since it began in 2009.
Indeed, twenty first century world cannot survive unless it develops a fine and matching global
framework for all countries getting strong, prosperous, and successful- that could deliver economic
prosperity for all and help all countries achieve their common aim and realize their common hopes.

4. For that reason, as Clinton admitted whether U.S. – China or other major power countries or smaller
ones need to commit to pursue a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship to work
together from local to Global level under a strong and open institutional framework for
strengthening partnership and “managing those areas where there are tensions and differences”.
MUTUAL DISTRUSTS PREVAIL WITH CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
President Obama and Secretary Clinton have been repeatedly saying that when U.S. and China
thrive it benefits both, and it helps them in solving threats that both countries face from regional
to global level. But according to Global Times (May 3, 2012) mutual distrusts is apparently
increasing between them. “There are many things that can be done to advance Sino-US ties, but
meanwhile it seems hard to find where exactly to start”, Global Times says. It further claims that
when both countries are worried on the hidden agendas of the other side, it “appears to be a part
of the plot in the eyes of the other”, it is not possible to make a breakthrough in dissolving
strategic distrust that may any time disrupt the relations between two major world powers.
China’s different political culture and its mammoth rise, has created worldwide concerns. China’s
rise is also seen as a great threat to western values that is dominating the whole world including
China in many respects. However, China’s cultural values have not developed to a stage that can
challenge western values for many years to come. Similarly for decades to come U.S. will continue
to become the single most prominent economic and military power, but if US’s projected decline
continues, followed by the slowdown of European Union and countries like Japan, emerging as well as
developing economies will continue to gather more admiration for China. Besides failures to prosper
and deliver to people may weaken many proto democracies further and may force them switch
towards non democratic regimes.
But whatever rest of the world thinks about the rise of China and the supposed U.S. decline it is
China that knows it better how much it needs USA to continue and sustain its rise. Similarly only a
prosperous China may help United States grow stronger to meet the global challenge of 21st
Century effectively.
kpbnepal@gmail.com
The Reporter weekly May 7-13, 2012
www.thereporter.com.np