Mutual trust has been slow to evolve on the political front, but that continues to be key for any meaningful deal.

Despite no public statements made by the U.S. government, China has been implicated in a recent hack of the U.S. Office for Personnel Management. It has spurred a debate on information security, differences between economic espionage and cold war espionage, and the overall bilateral relationship.

It is no surprise that China’s recent military white paper emphasizes “enhancing joint operational capabilities”. The first step of cooperation could be in military operations other than war.

China-U.S. competition and rivalry in the South China Sea is structural, strategic, and irreconcilable. Preventing conflicts there from damaging bilateral ties is a practical imperative for decision-makers in both countries.

China and Cuba are longtime economic, military and political allies and last week’s arrival of Chinese General Fan Changlong in Havana caused speculation about their relationship. More serious is Cuba’s public insistence during the negotiations that the United States return the naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

Tensions are rising in the South China Sea — so why is the East China Sea so calm?

There is increasing commentary among the chattering classes about the importance of making China “pay a price” for its aggressive behavior, but the possibility of miscalculation and misjudgment makes it even more important that all participants step back from confrontation.

Could China’s export infrastructure drive be at risk from its actions in the South China Sea? To win overseas infrastructure contracts, China may have to choose between a trouble free ‘going out’ strategy, and an aggressive ‘island-building’ South China Sea policy.

What exactly is America's gripe with China in the South China Sea? The question becomes more and more important as the future of the world's most vital bilateral relationship becomes more and more dependent on what happens in this much-contested waterway. And the answer is not very clear.

Despite tensions in the South China Sea, Chinese General Fan Changlong is in the United States, being hosted by the Pentagon. Mil-to-mil exchanges been taking place since the mid-1990’s, despite opposition from U.S. congressional war hawks and Chinese hardliners. To build political support for productive U.S.-China mil-to-mil exchanges, such programs will have to produce real results, and soon.