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

Managing the situation in the South China Sea has proven to be difficult. In this context the role that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can play is of particular interest. Some of the complexities involved were displayed at the recent ASEAN meetings held in Cambodia. ASEAN and the management of the South China [...]

US' China policy needs to be changed in the direction of increasing mutual trust and avoiding miscalculations US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just concluded her latest visit to China. It is also likely to be her last in her tenure as chief diplomat of Foggy Bottom under the Obama administration. What is Clinton's [...]

It is imperative that Washington makes its position in the South China Sea clear in order to reduce the risk to the United States and its interests.

  The rhetoric is growing hotter among China, most of its Southeast Asian neighbors, and the United States. Earlier this month, the State Department took the unusual step of issuing a press statement that singled out Chinese behavior for criticism in creating a new administrative district covering most of the disputed islets in the South [...]

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.

With major leadership transitions in the US and China this year, it is easy to become disheartened at the current state of the China-US relationship. However, despite some obvious disagreements, the relationship continues to strengthen and mature