With John Kerry in Beijing for the first time as US secretary of state, China and the United States now have a fresh opportunity to improve their cooperation, especially against the backdrop of recent tensions in Eastern Asia.
Besides getting to know new faces in the Chinese leadership headed by President Xi Jinping, Kerry was also expected to use his visit to acquire first-hand information for fine-tuning US policy toward China during the second Obama administration.
Given China's spectacular economic growth and long-standing commitment to peace, Kerry can be assured of gaining the United States maximum advantage by seeking cooperation, instead of competition, with the world's second-largest economy.
Healthy collaboration with China will offer the United States, first and foremost, sizable economic interests and more jobs, a key benefit of successful diplomacy, as Kerry stressed in his first major speech since taking office.
The Vietnam War veteran also spoke about the ambiguous impact of Washington' excessive military ramp-up outside the US borders. As Kerry noted in his confirmation hearing, the United States now has more military bases and forces in the Asia-Pacific than any other country in the world -- enough to put countries in the region on guard.
Worse still, the Korean Peninsula seems to be sliding into military conflict. While accusing Pyongyang of reckless provocation and intolerable disregard of international wishes, Washington itself has also been fanning the flames.
It keeps sending more fighters, bombers and missile-defense ships to the waters of East Asia and carrying out massive military drills with Asian allies in a dramatic display of preemptive power.
In addition, the US "pivot to Asia" could breed mistrust, misunderstandings and misjudgments in the region that would eventually lead to wider unrest. As Kerry pointed out, "Every action has its reaction."
To be a responsible Pacific power, the United States has to assuage Asian countries' concerns over its military buildup and help seek reasonable and workable solutions to regional issues.
The future course of the US "pivot to Asia" requires delicate adjustment. Rather than play tough and force Asian countries to give way, Washington should respect the region's interests and pursue win-win cooperation.
In a deeply interconnected world economy, confrontation can incur immeasurable costs. As a seasoned and thoughtful diplomat, Kerry can help guide China-US relations through the rough waters of disputes and international changes into mutually beneficial interaction.
China and the United States, respectively the world's sole superpower and largest developing country, have agreed to cultivate a new type of great-power relationship that can serve as a paragon of international relations on today's world stage.
In this noble undertaking, Kerry now has an opportunity to leave a remarkable imprint.