Yuan Peng: The US’ sense of need of China is stronger

• Source: Global Times
• [10:03 November 13 2009]
• Comments

Yuan Peng, director of the Institute of American Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations

Global Times: Barack Obama is the second US president to visit China in the first year of his term. High-level officials from both sides have interacted frequently in this year. Do you think it means that the US’ policy on China has changed? Is it Obama’s expedient measures due to the financial crisis?

Yuan: It is hard to say whether the changes on the US’ China policy are based on tactical or strategic considerations. I think both. Tactically speaking, the US suffers from inside and outside worries. Only can China provide help to the US by all means. Meanwhile, in the layout of US foreign strategy, the sense of its needs from China is stronger than ever before.

In a thorough analysis of the changes on the US policy on China, we can notice that China’s rise has become an irreversible trend. The US has to accept this fact. It is proved that some American containment measures on China failed to work, so the US indeed needs to change its strategy. On the other hand, China intends to promote the constructive cooperation with the US, which makes the US change its China policy.