David Micheal Lampton, a prominent American expert on China Studies, recently expressed his concern that the China-U.S. relations are approaching a “tipping point”. His view represented a pessimistic view of China-U.S. relations that has been rising in the U.S. media and think tanks in recent years. Interestingly, according to the public opinion poll released on June 2 by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 67% Americans prefer “friendly cooperation and engagement” with China in the face of the rising China. Among democratic and republican leaders, that proportion is even higher, at 87% and 78%, respectively. On the contrary, only 29% of Americans advocate that China’s growth should be actively “restricted”. Among democratic and republican leaders, that proportion falls to 22% and 25%, respectively.
This phenomenon reflects the cognitive gap between the U.S. media and think tanks and the American public and policy-makers regarding China-U.S. relations. During my recent visit to the United States, I participated in the China-U.S. strategic dialogue organized by the Brookings Institution, and communicated with officials from the US National Security Council, the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Defense. They left me an impression consistent with the above conclusion.
This suggested that many people in the U.S. media and policy circles may focus on the dramatic side of the current China-U.S. relations excessively, but ignore the social foundation of China-U.S. relations. Moreover, China and the United States have wrong perceptions and emotional cognition about each other’s intentions. Despite the rising misgivings about the US strategy towards China and the strategic containment, prevention against China, the U.S. strategy towards China, as a whole, remains a hedging strategy. The basic pattern of common interests outweighing differences between China and the United States has not changed fundamentally. We should maintain a strategic focus. While resolutely safeguarding China’s national interests, we should view China-U.S. relations in a broader perspective, not be affected by anything at any time, be more strategically patient, strengthen strategic communication and exchanges, avoid misjudgment in the game between China and the U.S., and improve the capability to guide and shape preferences and behaviors favored by the U.S.
I believed that the “silent majority” cannot be ignored when we observe and think about China-U.S. relations. The more we dig into the local and grassroots level in both countries, the deeper foundation of China-U.S. relations we can see. China-U.S. relations are increasing every day. The increasingly frequent and in-depth people-to-people exchanges on economy and trade, science and technology, education and culture witnessed the growing convergence of interests and interdependence between China and the United States in the era of globalization. The annual trade between China and the United States has exceeded USD 550 billion and Chinese investments in the United States have reached nearly USD 50 billion. China and the United States have conducted in-depth cooperation and innovation in the environment, clean energy, agriculture and health science and technology. From 2009 to 2014, there were more than 100,000 American students in China, while more than 270,000 Chinese students are now studying in the United States, accounting for 1/3 of all international students in the United States. Tens of thousands of people travel between China and the United States across the Pacific Ocean every day. In 2015, more than 5 million people are expected to travel between China and the United States. From a perspective, the China-U.S. people-to-people exchange is like a huge network bearing the profoundness of China-U.S. relations and more like air sustaining the “survival” of China-US relations.
The “silent majority” is a practitioner of the new type of great power relationship between China and the United States. They voted with practices and have forged a new type of great power relationship featuring no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Their voices may not always be reflected on the front pages, but we should never ignore them because they are observers of China-U.S. relations. China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges consisting of millions of people and rich practices are the source of our optimism and confidence in the future development of China-U.S. relations. ▲(The author is the Executive Deputy Director of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding, Peking University)
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