Prospects of a strategic Sino-US ties high

The Obama administration has the good fortune to inherit a generally sound Sino-American relationship - and it has moved quickly to reach out to Beijing and push the relationship forward. Presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao had their first face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in London last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has visited Beijing while her counterpart Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has been to Washington, military-to-military exchanges have been put back on track, President Obama has accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to China in the second half of the year, and both sides are signaling their newfound "cooperative and comprehensive partnership."

The Inheritance

Over the past decade a new bipartisan consensus in favor of engagement has emerged in the US Congress and the policy community - while at a bilateral level, substantial cooperation has been achieved across a range of issues. The prior administration demonstrated sustained commitment to the relationship and worked hard to engage the Chinese over an array of bilateral, regional, and global issues.