Xi-Obama Sunnylands summit can foster renewed trust
Yun Tang says though fraught with problems, the important relationship between China and America may well flourish in the hands of two leaders who understand the stakes
The first encounter between President Xi Jinping and Barack Obama since the latter's re-election as US president and Xi's elevation to power comes months earlier than had been expected. The informal summit, free from all the formality of protocol at the Californian resort of Sunnylands, will have a far-reaching impact because, in Xi's words, "the current China-US relationship is at a critical juncture".
China's steady rise is posing unprecedented challenges to bilateral ties. Last December, an American intelligence report said China would surpass the US as the world's largest economy by 2030. Recently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development even predicted it would occur by 2016.
The format itself reveals that the two presidents clearly see a bright outlook for future relations
China's arrival doesn't mean the US will bow out, at least not for the next 100 years or so. But Beijing's expanding global clout has brought forth conflicts of interest with Washington. Consequently, despite deepening interdependence, suspicion has also been growing, as can be seen by the fact that the hawks on both sides now rant much louder to an applauding audience. The next decade will be a risky period for US-China relations.
At this critical moment, a perplexing question will be hanging over the Sunnylands summit: will the US accept a rising China, or, put another way, will China rise in a way that is acceptable to the US? The answer lies in how deeply the two can trust each other.
The top priority of the summit must therefore be to eliminate or defuse the spreading mistrust, and ensure that bilateral relations don't get caught in a downward spiral. Obama and Xi have to reduce the discord, and guide the two nations to overcome their differences, thus ensuring the continuation of peaceful co-operation.
In fact, since Xi first met Obama in Washington in February last year, China and the US have been in close consultation on an array of issues, with the North Korean crisis at the fore. With Xi in office, Beijing and Washington have worked together in the face of the most blatant threats by Pyongyang since the end of the Korean war.
The successful first round of co-operation laid the groundwork for the summit and for even closer ties between the two countries. At Sunnylands, the two leaders will call for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, while trying to stop Pyongyang carrying out a fourth nuclear test.
