CHINA US Focus - Perspectives shaping the world's most important bilateral relationship

By clearing choosing Japan over China in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute, the US risks increasing the likelihood of confrontation in the Asia Pacific region instead of negating it. These actions run counter to America’s stated goal of improving strategic trust between the US and China.

Both in history and at present, missile defense issues have had a profound and far-reaching influence on relations among great powers, global strategic balance and stability, international peace and security, and the process of arms control and disarmament.

Conflicting signals sent by the US regarding the South China Sea territorial disputes have served to heighten distrust between the US and China ahead of Defense Secretary Panetta’s upcoming visit to China. Although unlikely to produce concrete results, these high level visits serve to clarify intentions and alleviate strategic distrust between China and the US.

Confucius says: “At thirty, I was already well established.” Unfortunately, the August 17th communiqué is far from being “established”. The sale of U.S. arms, until now, remains the most sensitive and the most destructive element in the bilateral relationship.

China’s involvement in South America has increased rapidly in the past decade, with the PRC playing a substantial role in shaping South America’s socioeconomic development.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now paying her 11-day visit to sub-Saharan Africa including Senegal, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. Apart from aiming at wooing African-American voters for the upcoming elections at home and pursuing the Obama administration’s new strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa unveiled in the middle of June, Clinton’s [...]