What ails Sino-US relations

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yan Xuetong is the director of Tsinghua University's Institute of International Studies and an expert on Sino-US ties. Yan, who has a PhD from the University of Berkeley, California, shares his views on recent Sino-US disputes with China Daily's Fu Yu.

Question: Sino-US ties have suffered some setbacks this year, with disputes over trade, Google, the arms sales to Taiwan, US President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama and the recent military exercise between the US and Republic of Korea (ROK). Why?

Answer: After the Cold War, Sino-US relations have been on a rollercoaster ride. China-US ties have been unpredictable since the mid-1990s. That is the nature of the current Sino-US relationship, too.