Yearender: 10 keywords for China-U.S. relations in 2015 (2)

SOUTH CHINA SEA

The United States has repeatedly expressed its so-called "freedom of navigation" concerns over China's land reclamation activities on some islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and even sent warships to patrol within 12 nautical miles (about 22 km) of the Chinese islands and reefs in late October despite China's strong opposition and condemnation.

China has clearly stated that it has "no intention to militarize" those islands and reefs, and that the main purpose of its construction activities is "to meet various civilian demands." It has also stressed that "freedom of navigation and aviation" in the region "has never been a problem and will never be a problem in the future."

While some pessimists see the South China Sea issue as a source of tension that could set China and the United States on a "course of collision," many others, including renowned strategist Henry Kissinger, believe that leaders of both countries are smart and sensible enough to well manage all kinds of differences and find a way to fix them.

CYBER SECURITY

On many occasions, U.S. government departments such as the Department of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Investigation alleged that "China-sponsored" cyber attacks led to the leak of government information and theft of U.S. companies' commercial secrets. However, no convincing evidence was made public in most of the cases.

A victim of cyber crimes itself, China has firmly denied all U.S. allegations and accusations, and repeatedly called for international cooperation and coordinated efforts to safeguard cyber security.

In a major breakthrough in this area, the two countries convened earlier this month in Washington their first ever ministerial dialogue on cyber security, as a follow-up to a bilateral anti-hacking agreement signed in September. A hotline will also be set up for the joint fight against cyber crimes.

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE REFORMS

Though the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) drew 57 countries to sign up as founding members, the United States opted to stay out of this China-proposed institution, which many believe is a "necessary supplement" to the existing global lenders and development funds.

And when the Obama administration largely succeeded in sealing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, touted as the world's biggest in two decades, China was conspicuously left out of it, causing many to doubt the practicality and future of the U.S.-backed new trade regime.

Analysts say that after the 2008 global financial crisis, the world has been in need of governance reforms, which won't be possible without U.S.-China consensus and cooperation. In this sense, the late November decision by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in which the United States has a big say, to add the Chinese currency Yuan to its elite basket of reserve currencies can be seen as a positive sign.

COMBATING GRAFT & TERROR

As China's massive anti-corruption campaign went international with the issuance of a global wanted list for 100 suspects at large, U.S. assistance was sought as that nearly 40 of the fugitives were believed to be staying in the country.

While differences in legal systems and the lack of an extradition agreement have created practical difficulties, the United States has made clear that it advocates good governance in China and supports international cooperation against corruption. Some of those on the wanted list have been taken into custody for illegal activities in the United States, with at least one having been repatriated to China.

The Paris terror attacks, the bombing of a Russian passenger jet over Sinai, Egypt, and the brutal killings of hostages committed by the notorious Islamic State (IS) extremist group have alerted the world about an ever-growing threat of terrorism. While the United States is pushing for an international coalition against the IS, China also calls terrorism "the public enemy of human beings" and has vowed to "resolutely crack down on any terrorism crime that challenges the bottomline of human civilization."

TRUST

In his observation of China-U.S. relations earlier this year, Henry Kissinger pointed out that "historically the challenge of rising countries has been to increase tensions with the established powers," but China and the United States can find a new model "based on the partnership of potentially adversarial countries in the building of a new and peaceful world."

To achieve that, the two countries need to continuously build mutual trust, accurately understand each other's intentions, and fully recognize that they have significant common interests to work together on many issues in spite of some differences, experts on international relations in both countries have suggested.

The outgoing year has witnessed not only President Xi's historic visit, but also a series of platforms and mechanisms for the two sides to sit down together and have in-depth exchanges and discussions, such as the Strategic & Economic Dialogue in Washington D.C. and the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Guangzhou, China. Even amid much media hype surrounding the so-called "South China Sea standoff," Chinese naval vessels paid goodwill visits to Florida and Hawaii, while a U.S. destroyer also docked at Shanghai for a friendly visit. Enditem

Editor's note:

Xinhua is wiring a series of international news yearenders through the end of December on major events and developments in the past year that bear global significance.

You can follow our special coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube:

http://www.twitter.com/XHNews

http://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChinaView