Making compromise when necessary

The overall vision and strategic judgment of the leaders of China and the US are crucial to the smooth development of bilateral ties. For example, at the critical time when China and the US were negotiating China's entry into the World Trade Organization, bilateral ties got a jolt as the Chinese embassy in former Yugoslavia was bombed by the US planes.

But since the leaders on both sides knew their countries' common interests far outweighed their differences and therefore the Yugoslavia incident should not prevent them from continuing their joint efforts to establish a constructive strategic partnership, the two countries gradually restored mutual trust and continued their efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.

Besides, since China saw its entry into the WTO as a positive development and the US didn't go back on its promise of supporting China's accession, the two sides finally overcame the huge obstacles and reached a bilateral agreement on China's WTO accession, which further boosted bilateral ties.

But the vision and strategic determination of the two countries' leaders alone are not enough to promote the smooth development of Sino-US ties. To achieve the common goals, the two countries need to regularly exchange information on the progress they have made on different fronts, so as to remove any misunderstandings. Only in this way can their diverse interests find a point of convergence. For example, in the talks on its entry into the WTO, China made necessary concessions to pave way for its entry into the world trade body.

To achieve their common goals, the two countries should therefore not only adhere to international principles but also respect each other's core concerns and interests, while making compromises when necessary, because no negotiation on a common goal can be concluded fruitfully without compromise and mutual concessions.

Wang Guoxing, a distinguished research fellow at the Institute of World Economy, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies