High on hype, low on expectations

Third, Obama will also promote negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The ROK and Canada concluded their negotiations for a free trade agreement in March, and Japan recently signed a free trade agreement with Australia in a bid to win more chips for TPP negotiations with the US. Though officially the ROK has not announced that it would join the TPP, it has hinted at doing so. Obama will, therefore, persuade the four countries to expedite the TPP negotiations. After all, the TPP would account for 40 percent of the world's GDP and will enable the US to double its exports and maintain its leading role in making rules for economic and trade liberalization in the Asia-Pacific.

China, however, should not worry too much about the impact of Obama's visit on the region. Japan and the Philippines will indeed seek US support in their maritime disputes with China, but that doesn't mean Obama's visit to Asia is aimed against China.

Since Obama is aware of some of the wishful thinking and calculations of some of the US allies, his strategy will be to avoid being dragged into a confrontation with China. Obama will reaffirm the US' commitment toward its allies but he will also warn them against taking any action that could aggravate the situation.

China and the US both know the importance of their relations and are making efforts to build a "new type of major-power relationship". Besides, enough mechanisms are in place to resolve the frictions that occasionally crop up between Beijing and Washington. The two countries know that they have to respect each other's core interests, avoid third-party interference and refrain from using words or taking actions that could worsen matters.

A stable and mature China-US relationship is needed to address the complicated challenges and determine the future of the Asia-Pacific as well as the rest of the world. Perhaps Obama's visit to Beijing to attend the APEC meeting later this year will signal the beginning of the reshaping of the Asia-Pacific landscape.

The author is vice-president of China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily 04/23/2014 page9)