ABSTRACT
The Sino-American relationship is arguably the most important bilateral relationship in world politics today. Analysts have published voluminously on this “comprehensive,” “complicated” and “mutually penetrating” relationship (Niu 2010: 13). This chapter will go through the main themes of the relationship in order to shed some light on its future development. The chapter gives more weight to US policy toward China, for two reasons. First, unlike its interactions with other countries, China has been largely reactive in dealing with the USA. That is, Sino-American relations have been mainly determined by US policy toward China. Second, while the China policy has generated “consistent controversy for presidents” in the USA (Garrison 2005: 1), Chinese policy toward the USA, in line with China’s overall foreign policy, has been rather consistent since 1978.
