US would benefit more from cooperating with China than encouraging others to encroach on the rising power's interests

As an effort to break away from the traditional formality of summit meetings, the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama at the Sunnylands estate in California points to a more cooperative future.

The hosting of Xi in such a casual manner was a new gesture by Obama aimed at resetting the tone of China-US relations during his second term and in particular to nurture a private bond with China's new leader. Xi's willingness to meet Obama at the Sunnylands also showed China's desire to work together with the US to map the blueprint for China-US ties and pursue cross-Pacific cooperation.