Editorials

Time to make amends

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-04 07:46

Two high-ranking United States officials are now in Beijing to discuss relations between China and the United States. Their presence is widely regarded as a sign of rectifying the current standoff in bilateral ties.

The timely communication between our two countries will broaden mutual understanding and help reach consensus on matters that have previously torn us apart.

Given that the two officials, US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Senior White House Asia Adviser Jeffrey Bader, will help shape Washington's policy toward Beijing, we hope that the high-profile visit will contribute in steering the world's most important bilateral ties out of troubled waters.

Past experiences indicate that Sino-US relations will fare well and even grow as long as the US chooses not to provoke China over sensitive matters related to its sovereignty. The questions of Taiwan and Tibet have once again become the centerpiece of deadlock.

Any sovereign country will not tolerate another nation who arms one of its provinces for separatist purposes. Washington has been selling top-grade arms to Taiwan for three decades.

Any nation will be hurt when a major separatist figure meets the head of state from a friendly country. Washington facilitated the Dalai Lama's visit to the White House despite Beijing's strong opposition last month.

Beijing has, at many times in the past, showed sincerity and made concrete efforts to salvage Sino-US ties from deteriorating.

Much has been talked about how our two nations are intertwined economically. Enough has been speculated on how much we could contribute to major international issues, such as climate change, by working together.

It's now time for Washington to make the first move to steer troubled bilateral ties back to safe ground.

(China Daily 03/04/2010 page8)