Mr. Roach, although the recently concluded Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) between the United States and China was a major disappointment, there was plenty of goodwill on both sides. President Xis emphasis on a new type of relationship and call for mutual respect showed a political will to forge a stronger cooperative partnership. He warned against a confrontation, as it would be a disaster. John Kerry said in his opening remarks the US was not seeking to contain China, but to welcome a strong, prosperous and stable China. Yet Beijing doubted Washingtons sincerity despite Kerrys assurance, saying China has been left out of the worlds biggest free trade agreement in the region, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and pointed out that the US is trying to win over SE Asian countries and isolate China. What struck Mr. Roach most was that the dialogue had failed to address an increasingly corrosive trust deficit that poses the most serious threat to Sino-American relations in 25 years. Indeed the relationship between the two countries are suffering from a trust deficit, not least because of the cyber-espionage between them as well as their charges and countercharges. Moreover Washington doesnt trust what it sees as Beijings military expansionism, or what it regards as unfair trade practices. Beijing distrusts the US pivot to Asia and a strengthening of its hegemony in the region. China sees it as a provocation that the US sides with countries in East and South China Seas in their territorial claims against China, saying it wasnt exactly a positive response by Washington to the cooperative spirit that Beijing has displayed internationally. When Xi called for mutual respect, he was also sending a signal to Washington that it was time not to expect to be treated as the only global super-power. During his decade in office, China may overtake the US as the biggest economy in the world and could well be on the way to outspending it militarily as well. Yet Xi also wanted to prove that the past 35 years of Sino-US interaction, the two have co-existed peacefully without standing against each other. If Mr. Roach puts the blame on Washington for the lack of progress in negotiating a bilateral ivestment treaty by “kicking the can down the road”, due to the upcoming US presidential election cycle – a time when the debate over China always intensifies, perhaps China cant agree more. Beijing is said to be taking the issue seriously and seems eager to work out a win-win situation together with the US. It urges for better communication and a deeper dialogue. Even if Mr. Roach says, the bilateral relationship is headed in the wrong direction. Staying the course is not an option, the question is who will benefit more from this relationship?
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 21:50:06 +0000
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