U.S., China Explore Deeper Ties as Partners, Contenders

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In The Media

U.S., China Explore Deeper Ties as Partners, Contenders

China is likely to be both a partner and a contender in its relations with the United States, with the depth of its cooperation limited by the extent to which the two countries have overlapping national interests.

By Minxin Pei

Published on Nov 16, 2009

Source: NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

In the big-picture view of its relationship with the U.S., China is likely to be both a partner and a contender. Yet as Minxin Pei explained in an interview with Jim Lehrer on Newhour, any partnership between the two powers will be limited by the extent to which they have overlapping national interests. He presented a cautiously optimistic picture of U.S.-China relations in the wake of Obama’s visit to Asia, noting that the United States is likely to experience disappointment if it is overly optimistic about China’s willingness to cooperate. Such reluctance from the Chinese essentially stems from different values, as well as a lack strategic or fundamental political trust with the United States.

About the Author

Minxin Pei

Former Adjunct Senior Associate, Asia Program

Pei is Tom and Margot Pritzker ‘72 Professor of Government and the director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College.

Recent Work

In The Media
How China Can Avoid the Next Conflict
- Minxin Pei
In The Media
Small Change
- Minxin Pei

Security Military Foreign Policy North America United States East Asia China

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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