US needs to come to terms with Beijing's rise

China and the United States agreed to a "new type of major power relationship" in June 2013 when US President Barack Obama hosted President Xi Jinping at Sunnylands in California, where the two leaders also discussed important regional and global issues for more than eight hours.

In return, Xi hosted Obama in Beijing in November 2014, and the two leaders took a stroll on Yingtai Bridge over a lake near Xi's official residence during which they discussed many important issues. Later, Obama said the Yingtai talks further deepened his understanding of Chinese leaders and governance, and helped him better understand why Chinese people value national unification and stability so much.

Since Obama is eager to leave behind a rich diplomatic legacy, he should make more efforts to improve the US' relations with China. Indeed, the two sides have made progress on this front.