China and US have reached a crossroad in their relations

During the 40 years of reform and opening-up, Sino-US relations have made inconceivable progress. But with the rapid development of China, Sino-US relations have reached a crossroad. Perhaps they need structural changes.

China has found socialism with Chinese characteristics to be an effective way to become a prosperous society. However, the US believes China's unique path of development does not lead to "democratization" of China as it had expected.

Also, even before the United States triggered the trade conflict with China and the White House adopted the "America First" policy, Washington had been wary of China's faster-than-expected development. Washington became increasingly nervous when Beijing started shouldering more and more international responsibilities in accordance with its remarkable growth. The US perceived this change not only as China's "aggressive" behavior, but also considered some of China's reasonable pursuit of national interest as a diplomatic challenge.