"Whether it's global warming, financial stability, keeping free trade, open trade, the important thing is that the United States and China have a long strategic view of their common interests," he told Xinhua.

"Conflict is possible. It's what happened historically," acknowleged Gardels, who is also a renowned columnist in US and European media. "But hopefully this is a different moment in history because of the interdependence that already exists between the two countries."

Brookings-Tsinghua scholar Wang believes that a "greater intrinsic driving force" is pushing forward the Sino-US relations.

"Both of them need to maintain an international environment that is conducive to them," he said. "Common interests like this will help shape relations between the two countries.

"If they can adapt to the driving force and take responsibilities together, that would have a positive impact on the whole world."

According to experts, China has developed a strong awareness of linking its own interests with those of the world.

Their observation is supported by Hu Jintao's reports to the National Congress, in which he said human beings share a community of common destiny and a country should promote common development of all nations when advancing itself.

"You can see China's resolution to seek common interests with other countries," said Su Changhe, an international relations professor at China's Fudan University.

"It is fair to say that China will pay more attention to tap common interests and common values with the United States," he added.

In his visit to the United States in February, Xi Jinping, the new general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said the two countries have "important interwoven interests."

"We should jointly promote global peace, stability and common development, and make the international system a more equitable, just, inclusive and orderly one," he said at a welcoming luncheon in Washington DC.

Zero-sum game?

David Shambaugh, a US professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, said that for the two governments, the key is to balance competition and cooperation.

"The big challenge for both governments is to manage a competitive relationship and keep it from becoming an adversarial one," in his view.

The US academic believes that both governments and societies need to learn how to manage competition and at the same time try to expand the zone of cooperation.

"In an inter-dependent relationship, neither China nor the United States has any experience historically" because such a situation has never existed before, he explained.

"Although it has never happened, it should not be a zero-sum game," said Fudan University professor Su of the scenario highlighted by Shambaugh.

Other Chinese experts agree that China can rise without the downfall of the United States.

In his book "China In 2020: A New Type of Superpower," Chinese economist Hu Angang posited the theory the country has neither the conditions nor the willingness to replace the United States as the sole leader of the world.

Hu argues that his country will not necessarily have a zero-sum competition with another already existing superpower.

He said China's rise will be rooted in the superiorities of its own system, rather than competition with others in natural resources, markets and military power, the path previoulsy followed by other countries.

"China's rise can be an exception," he said.