A bridge over troubled waters

The second US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) ended a couple of days ago and the 200-strong American delegation has left Beijing after two days of intensive talks with their Chinese counterparts. How should we judge these important talks?

First, after a long winter of difficulties, the S&ED was for China and the US another step - a very important step - toward coordinating efforts to stabilize and improve bilateral relations. The talks followed an exchange of visits by senior officials, presidential telephone calls, President Hu Jintao's presence at the Nuclear Security Summit (and a lengthy private discussion with the US president), Barack Obama's meeting with new Chinese ambassador Zhang Yesui, the postponement of the US Treasury Department's report on the yuan, and China supporting a new round of sanctions against Iran. Each step added momentum to bilateral ties after a period of significant strain.

Second, the sheer size of the S&ED is unprecedented in any bilateral relationship. No two governments have ever met across such a wide range of bureaucracies to discuss the totality of issues affecting bilateral relations.