GreatExpectation_省略_dtheMakingofS_ED_105

SPECIAL REPORT

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke was appointed new U.S. ambassador to China, signaling the growing importance of China-U.S. relations to the American leadership.

Great Expectations and the Making of S&ED

By FU MENGZI

O

N March 9, 2011, U.S. president Barack Obama nominated Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as the new U.S. ambassador to China. It has been publicly speculated that the appointment reflects the seri-ousness with which the Obama administration is taking the economic and trade relationship with China. Douglas Paal, vice president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said sending a sitting cabinet member is a signal from Obama about China’s strategic importance in his political universe.

As two countries with significant influence, China and the U.S. play exemplary roles in the international community. After three decades of spectacular growth, China has become the world’s second-largest economy, so its dialogue with the U.S., the world’s largest economy, serves as a weather vane to the in-ternational community. Their dialogues are supposed to touch upon an extensive range of issues so that the two countries can make joint efforts to cope with existing problems.

China and the U.S. have had nearly 70 high-level dialogues, covering a wide range of concerns to bilateral relations. While attending APEC’s informal leadership meeting in Chile in 2004, Chinese President Hu Jintao’s suggestion to U.S. Presi-dent Bush that the two contries hold a strategic dialogue met

CHINA TODAY

with a positive response, and the U.S. launched the first round in August 2005, where security issues domi-nated the agenda.

Chinese vice premier Wu Yi and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson held a China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue in September 2006 in Beijing. Altogether six China-U.S. Strategic Dialogues and five China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogues were conducted during the junior Bush’s administration.

China believes two features count in such talks. First, the most sig-nificant issues are discussed from an overall perspective rather than a focus on specific topics. A strate-gic dialogue aims at analyzing the broadest contexts and deep underly-ing causes and their connections, then working out solutions based on this broader framework. Second,

a strategic dialogue is conducted at Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo (right) and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick

a relatively high level, which means shake hands as they meet for the rst round of strategic dialogues in Beijing on August 1, 2005. participating officials need to have suf cient status in a nation’s policy-making system and its own strategic thinking.

Standing at a historical

When Chinese President Hu Jintao met U.S. President Obama during the G20 Financial Summit in London in 2009, crossroads, the third round of both sides agreed to merge the two dialogues into the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED).

the S&ED is expected to have The new dialogue mechanism is comprised of a strategic a deeper and wider impact on track and an economic track. Its participants are also of the highest rank: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State bilateral relations than ever before.

Councilor Dai Bingguo co-chair the dialogue with U.S. Sec-retary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury

Standing at a historical crossroads, the third round of the Timothy Geithner.

S&ED is expected to have a deeper and wider impact on bilat-The first meeting was held in Washington in 2009. The eral relations than ever before. Sino-U.S. relations have chilled second meeting, held in Beijing in 2010, produced 26 speci c a little over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, Obama’s meeting with outcomes. In the latter the U.S. pledged to seriously consider the Dalai Lama, and Google’s withdrawal from the Chinese the issue of China’s market economy status and speed up the mainland. Decisive action was needed to restore a positive

process of acknowledging that status.

agenda. Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United The S&ED continues to play an important role in further States in January this year brought the derailed Sino-U.S. re-promoting the bilateral relations.

lationship back to normal. Trust between the two nations has Global Impactbeen restored and the tone of the relationship has been reset,

so the future of its progress on a more certain track. In a spirit

Both China and the United States have attached great im-of mutual respect and cooperation, China and the U.S. issued a

portance to the dialogue. The head of the host country gives the joint statement agreeing to build a comprehensive and mutu-opening speech and over 50 ministerial officials in charge of ally bene

cial partnership. the two countries respective sectors attend the meetings.

The riots in the Middle East and North Africa, regime changes The topics cover bilateral and multilateral issues as well in Tunisia and Egypt, and the civil war in Libya signal changes as long-standing and emerging problems. Topics that involve are coming to those regions. Moreover, the situation on the several sectors facilitate better teamwork. For example, anti-Korean Peninsula is tense and the Iran nuclear issue makes no terrorism is a security issue, but it requires coordination of progress. The global economy has not even completely recovered

the treasury departments of both nations since “following the from the

nancial crisis, yet the world must face challenges like money” and cutting off its supply is critical.

climate change and rising food and oil prices. 17

SPECIAL REPORT

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan (right) addressing the opening of S&ED while U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Treasury Secret …… 此处隐藏：9300字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……