Talks should give boost to cooperation amid differences

China and the United States will convene next week for the 7th Strategic and Economic Dialogue, their most important and wide-ranging bilateral talks.

Some critics of the event have complained about the low productivity of the talks, but given the misunderstanding and mistrust that exist between the two countries, the talks which involve several hundred people from the two governments are extremely important. In fact, there are actually far more people involved, as teams from the two governments prepare for the S&ED throughout the year. Their frequent interaction itself allows them to better communicate with and understand each other.

High-level engagement has been the key to positive momentum in relations between China and the US since President Richard Nixon's icebreaking trip to China in 1972. In the past two years, we have seen a boost to the relationship after President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama met for their "shirt-sleeves summit" at the Sunnylands estate in Ranch Mirage, California in June 2013 and agreed to build a new type of major country relationship. Though the US has not been using the term much since then, there is no doubt that such a concept signals the intention for cooperation, not confrontation.