ABSTRACT
The relationship between the United States and China appears to be drifting toward disaster. Conflict over intellectual property rights, China's growing trade surplus with the United States, and the conditions of China's admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) dominates the news but often obscures the fundamental reality of Sino-American economic relations. An institutionalized US-China security dialogue should be an important component of what at best will be a long-term process. The concept of conditional engagement reflects a growing suspicion in the United States that China may be unwilling to abide by the evolving system of international norms and practices that limits national sovereignty in the interest of security and other global goods. Such political will and diplomatic craftsmanship have been in short supply in both the United States and China. Fortunately, Winston Lord, the assistant secretary of state for Asian and Pacific affairs, is a man of broader vision and long China experience.
