China Voice: Cooperation prevails over confrontation in China-U.S. ties

Major China-U.S. dialogues taking place next week are set to be pivotal occasions for the two world powers to overcome obstacles and steer their bilateral relations steadily forward.

High-ranking officials from China and the United States will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington D.C. for the seventh China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the sixth China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), discussing issues ranging from security to the economy and people-to-people exchanges.

The two platforms will help create favorable conditions for President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States in September.

Though progress has been made in China-U.S. relations since Xi and Barack Obama settled on building a new model of major-power relations during their first summit in June 2013, there are also some thorny issues between the two sides.

The United States has intervened the South China Sea issue time and again lately. China firmly opposes it and reiterated that the united states is not a party in the South China Sea disputes, which are between China and other claimants and should be handled by those directly involved.

The situation has many people pondering how the two countries can avoid "Thucydides's trap" -- the notion an established power becomes so anxious about the rise of a new power that a struggle leading to war becomes inevitable. And how can they build their new-model relationship featuring peaceful coexistence and common development?

China and the United States should realize that the targeting of this new relationship is a strategic choice by both sides and requires unremitting efforts despite challenges. The sides have more incentives to enhance communication and cooperation than they do differences.

It should be kept in mind that a solid foundation has been established for the formation of the new relationship. In 2014, bilateral trade exceeded 550 billion U.S. dollars. China and the United States are each other's second-largest trading partners.

The number of Chinese traveling to the United States and Americans traveling to China each day adds up to more than 10,000.

The more than 90 dialogue mechanisms existing between China and the United States, with the S&ED and CPE included, have ensured smooth channels for communication, and for dispute settlement to some extent.

Heads of the two states have had several fruitful meetings. Besides their first summit in 2013, Obama paid a visit to China in November 2014. The two leaders have also met on the sidelines of multilateral meetings, such as the eighth summit of the G20 in September 2013 and the third Nuclear Security Summit in March 2014. Their talks touched upon a wide range of issues and face-to-face meetings helped enhance understanding and trust.

The two countries have made joint contributions to world economic recovery and cooperated closely when tackling global challenges such as terrorism and Ebola epidemic. Tangible results have been scored in arrangements for visa reciprocity and in jointly dealing with climate change.

They also have many similarities: Both are Permanent Members of the UN Security Council today and victors in the Anti-Fascist War 70 years ago. They are currently shouldering shared responsibility for maintaining world peace and stability. There are many international or regional issues that can not be resolved without the two giants' joint participation.

In summary, China and the United States should and could let cooperation prevail over confrontation and build an unprecedented new model of relationship between great powers, which will benefit the two peoples and the world at large. Endi