The ongoing series of high-level meetings show that, despite pressures from third-party players, Beijing and Washington value a cooperative relationship and mutual understanding that should continue to strengthen.

China’s reclamation work offshore is not threats to other countries, but will improve the region’s weather forecasting and maritime-rescue capacity. The US and other countries, as well as international organizations, will be welcome to make use of the facilities it will build, so as to advance cooperation on humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

While it runs counter to the notion that China is “aggressive” in the South China Sea, the maritime delimitation agreement with Vietnam is important for both media and international scholars to study for a deeper understanding of China’s practice in dispute resolution.

South China Sea territorial claims — at least in Reed Bank — is really about energy. If all sides recast dangerous nationalistic posturing to more hard-headed economic calculation, it opens the way for more rational, mutual gain negotiations. These could center upon joint development of South China Sea resources. This, as an alternative to war.

The Secretary of State deepened the understanding between two countries at this critical time, but the chatter around the visit reminds both countries that consensus is easy to reach but hard to actualize. Upcoming high-level meetings, including President Xijping’s September State visit to Washington, provide opportunities to expand that critical understanding.

The maritime issue casts a dark shadow on the cooperation between the two countries in the wake of tenser contests in the South China Sea. It is time to prevent this difference from dominating the bilateral relationship.

While the U.S. and China understand that military confrontation is in neither nation’s interest, leaders are not willing to budge from actions they consider key to protecting vital national interests. The U.S. has interest in the shipping lanes and its regional allies, while China is unshakable in its desire to safeguard regional sovereignty.

Since the end of last year, the chess game over the South China Sea has grown bigger, with more outside players, bringing the situation to a new stage on the eve of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Under Xi, China has moved to a proactive posture to shape its external security environment, using trade and investment to expand its sphere of strategic influence while simultaneously asserting territorial and maritime claims against its neighbors. The Maritime Silk Road project is driven by his belief that the maritime domain holds the key to China achieving preeminence in Asia.

Earlier this week, the commander of the U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet made headlines when he suggested that ASEAN countries could cooperate to form a maritime force t