This rollercoaster ride has to stop

The easing of tension between China and the United States in the last few days is a fresh reminder how capricious bilateral relations are. It's similar to the fickle weather in New York a week ago when the temperature suddenly dropped 10 degrees C.

Now it's sunny and warm again. The Sino-US relations have also averted a major showdown, at least for the time being, when US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced Saturday to delay an April 15 report that could label China as a currency manipulator.

Compared with the escalating pressure on bilateral ties in the past few months, the goodwill shown on both sides in the past week has been unexpected and encouraging.