Key words: Re-election hints US to seek cooperation with China; Strong eco-policy needed for 'beautiful China': Hu Jintao

Re-election hints US to seek cooperation with China

With the 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) in full swing this week, Chinese media continues to evaluate how Barack Obama's re-election as president will influence the future of Sino-US relations.

While Mitt Romney garnered widespread support with strident rhetoric regarding China, voters seem to have not fully ignored that China can play a positive role in reviving US economic growth.  

Some media outlets have suggested China should prepare itself for more conservative US policies in the near future, while others believe the government should take steps to promote cooperation between the two nations.

Zhang Shengjun, vice-president of School of Political Science and International Studies, Beijing Normal University, told the Chinese edition of the Global Times that we must not only seek the common ground that guided exchange between China and US in the past and instead focus on the cultural differences.

"China is already used to making decisions independent of influence from American values and culture. So we shouldn't be overly cautious and actively communicate with the American people", said Zhang.

 "Instead of laying aside long-time differences, we should actively find ways to resolve the misunderstandings and seek a new consensus in order to lay a solid foundation for future cooperation", noted Zhang.

International Studies scholar Zhang Guoqing commented to the Beijing News that while the US government will likely continue to put pressure on China in order to guarantee its competitive edge in key industries, Sino-US relations should concentrate on cooperation rather than confrontation.

"China needs smarts and bravery to play games with the US. However, from a positive perspective, there is still room for cooperation between the two nations, which will surely help the US economy," Zhang added.

Commentator Jia Xiudong for the Beijing Times suggested the US' growing interest in Sino-US relations is two-fold.

"As China's global influence widens, the US will increasingly need its support when dealing with issues such as Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and North Korea. At the same time, the US believes China's rise will limit its strategic options," Jia said.

Jia continued to say "although many problems still exist between China and the US, both sides should strive to reconcile their differences and seek cooperation for the sake of common interests."

Strong eco-policy needed for 'beautiful China': Hu Jintao 

Hu Jintao emphasized the importance of environmental issues and advocated the building of a "beautiful" China in the country's overall development plan on November 8.

"We must give high priority to cultivating a culture of conservation and work hard to build a beautiful country through lasting and sustainable development," Hu said in his report to the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

According to the Beijing Youth Daily, the idea of building a "beautiful" China will help further guarantee environmental sustainability and curb waste of resources.

"Development in one country should not come at the expense of polluting another. China, as a representative of all developing countries, already clearly understands the importance of protecting and repairing the environment," said the Beijing Youth Daily. 

"Additionally, China is trying to establish an environmental protection system and encourage the development of eco-friendly enterprises in order to avoid any negative environmental impact in surrounding countries," the paper noted.

The Beijing Times reported that the reason why large-scale projects usually choose to ignore environmental protection laws is because they believe the only consequence is paying a fine. 

The paper pointed out that the key to building a culture of conservation and defending people's right to a clean environment is whether local governments can resist the lure of powerful economic interests.

"More severe punishment should be dealt to those which act first instead of asking permission, while all projects that started before the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was passed have to be shut down immediately," said the Beijing Times.