Obama wise to opt for engagement, not confrontation, with China

MUCH of the sense of optimism about the future of Sino-American relations that has dominated Washington for about a quarter of a century seemed to have dissipated over the last few years.

Indeed, very few American officials and lawmakers continue to adhere to the notion that economic reform and the process of globalisation will transform China into a liberal democracy and a geo-strategic partner of the United States. If anything, there have been growing tensions between Washington and Beijing in recent months that have provided a gloomy backdrop for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the US last week. In fact, there was some talk in Washington on the eve of the visit of imposing sanctions on the Chinese in retaliation for alleged theft of US business secrets and government records. At the same time, the two governments have been engaged in acrimonious diplomatic debate over the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and human rights issues.

These tensions have been exacerbated by the American presidential campaign's anti-China rhetoric as presidential candidates called for the cancellation or downgrading of Mr Xi's visit.To President Barack Obama's credit, he has resisted the pressure to jump on the China bashing bandwagon. China may not embrace American principles of freedom of the press or human rights anytime soon and Beijing's strategic interests will not always be compatible with that the US, but as a president who views the world through the lenses of geo-political realism, Mr Obama also recognises that the international balance of power and the long-term growth of the global economy requires that the US and China continue to cooperate on common issues and not allow the friction between them to lead to trade wars or military confrontations.