Hand-in-hand after face-to-face talks

Both Beijing and Washington emerged from their latest dialogue more upbeat about their relations and committed to working together, which proves the world's most important bilateral relationship is far from beyond repair.

They argued, they quarreled, they even threatened to act against each other, over allegations of currency manipulation, cyberattacks, the South China Sea, and more. The rhetoric was harsh and there was talk about the two nearing a "tipping point" and the possibility of war.

But the just concluded China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue reassuringly showed the Sino-US relationship, volatile as it has been, remains manageable, and the widely feared clash is not inescapable, as long as they share a political will to keep it at bay.