ABSTRACT
Chinese analysts and policy-makers generally refer to Sino-U.S. relations as China’s ‘most important bilateral relationship.’ And yet, in the last few years, the nature of Sino-U.S. relations has variously been described as ‘precarious’ (Bernkopf Tucker 1998), ‘fragile’ (Gurtov 1999) and ‘uncertain’ (Harding 1999). This chapter discusses what would appear to be the core issues and dynamics underlying bilateral co-operation and conflict. It is divided into five sections. The first section reviews recent developments into 2000, including those that brought the relationship to a nadir in 1999. Sections two to four discuss three interrelated and highly contentious issues in Sino-U.S. relations: approaches to regional and international security, the Taiwan issue, and the anticipated U.S. deployment of National Missile Defence (NMD)/Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) systems. The fifth section briefly explores to what extent tensions in Sino-American relations are likely to be mitigated by commercial and economic interests.
