US, West need to know three realities about China: expert

BEIJING - "The United States and the West more broadly need to recognize three realities about China," Paul Sheard, research fellow at Harvard Kennedy Schools wrote in a recent article in the South China Morning Post.

The first reality is that China, "a giant economy," will only get bigger and more technologically advanced, wrote the former chief economist at S&P Global.

The second is that China's political, economic and social system that is different from the United States and the West has "unleashed its economic development potential in the past four decades and helped to lift many of its citizens out of poverty."

The third is that China views many issues differently from the United States, which reflects China's history, culture and values.

The relationship between the United States and China in the coming years will greatly influence "the fate of the world," he said.

"The proper path for the United States and China will require both countries to find ways to work closely together, and with others, to bolster and refashion the institutions that contribute to global security and prosperity and to solve myriad common global problems," Sheard wrote.