ABSTRACT
The Communist Party of China (CPC) came to power in the Middle Kingdom facing suspicion and prejudice from the international community, especially the Western capitalist countries. At the fi rst meeting of the Strategic Economic Dialogue between the United States and China, President Obama said: ‘The relationship between the United States and China will shape the 21st century, which makes it as important as any bilateral relationship in the world. That really must underpin our partnership. That is the responsibility that together we bear.’1 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner further stated that:
[F]ew global problems can be solved by the U.S. or China alone. And few can be solved without the U.S. and China together. The strength of the global economy, the health of the global environment, the stability of fragile states and the solution to nonproliferation challenges turn in large measure on cooperation between the U.S. and China.2
