Following the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a new guiding ideology has been adopted to ensure China continues its peaceful development while driving the world economy.

Following his participation at a dialogue at the Chinese Embassy, Richard Weitz highlights the most interesting themes that emerged from that conversation.

Ever since the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping opened up his country’s economy in the late 1970s, China has managed to grow in power, wealth, and military might

A good beginning, a smooth transition, free from interruption, and a joint effort to tie a win-win knot between these two big powers and secure a plain sailing throughout the Pacific era is the key for a new course of Sino-US relations.

Since the incumbent Barack Obama has won re-election in the US presidential race, more consistency is expected in US foreign policy in the next four years. China has paid great attention to US rebalancing towards Asia and the increasing US presence in the region.

David Shambaugh charts the course for U.S.-China relations and writes that the global importance of US-China relations means that this is a marriage in which divorce is not an option. The stakes are high. Yet the competitive trend is likely to continue into the future—absent a newly emergent global threat that challenges both nations to forge greater cooperation.

Many in China see the US “pivot” to Asia and the development of the Air-Sea-Battle strategy as clear provocations aimed to contain China. Only through frank dialogue between top leaders, academics and strategists, as well as the next generation of military leaders, in both countries can we hope to lessen the strategic distrust that exists between the US and China.

The US views China as a key to developing a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Asia-Pacific in the 21st century, therefore, building a healthy, stable, reliable, and continuous military-to-military relationship with China is of great significance.

Despite rising tensions in the South China Sea, conflict can and should be averted. A good first step would be to acknowledge that the South China Sea is part global good, part sovereign territory. Through greater dialogue, trust-building and transparency, informal rules of the sea can accommodate both a rising China and a strong America.

The Asia-Pacific region is very dynamic and fast changing, not only in economic terms but also in security terms. Three recent developments will have profound implication on regional security.