Inclusive order still vital for China, US

The "pivot to Asia" policy propounded by US President Barack Obama in 2011 was a turning point in China-US relations. Washington has taken stricter precautionary measures against Beijing, which is now locked in disputes (mostly over maritime sovereignty) with US allies in the Asia-Pacific region such as the Philippines and Japan.

China's policy toward the US, however, has been consistent: one seeking shared interests and win-win cooperation. This has been reiterated time and again by Beijing since the establishment of the China-US diplomatic ties in 1979.

Of course, there is a power gap between the two countries, but that does not mean they are less motivated to cooperate. By attributing China's "change of heart" to the US' massive economic rebound last year and Russia's disadvantaged position in confronting America, the Gatestone Institute analysis has understated the risks of implementing a destructive policy against Beijing.

What should lay the strategic foundation of future China-US ties, as Beijing has made clear, is a stable yet progressively reforming world order. Whether or not Washington would maintain its dominance in the world largely depends on its attitude toward the inclusive nature of such a system.

If it promises to further this policy of inclusion, it would enjoy co-prosperity and peace with Beijing and extend its global influence. But if it attempts to damage this order, it will only create trouble for itself.

The power of cooperation is becoming increasingly clearer after the meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Beijing in November.

In the years to come, both countries will work to transform a "new type of major-country relationship" - a notion floated by Xi to describe future China-US relations - into concrete cooperation in practice while attending to regional stability, climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, the fight against terrorism and other pressing issues.

The author is a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University.

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