Foreign governments are more or less traditional actors in foreign economic policymaking, often exerting direct influence through bilateral talks and negotiations. The degree of influence is largely determined by the China's and USA's positions in the international system, as well as their relative political power and economic dependency. The debate within the USA has been endless as to what is the most appropriate China policy, which always gains momentum with each new presidential election. The USA’s China policy has evolved over the years with each newly elected president, who chooses strategies and tactics that suit the overall national interest, although engagement with China has been a consistent and patient theme. Sino-US political relations have had a great impact on the negotiation results of Sino-US air transport arrangements. The bilateral air transport relationship was formulated immediately after the two countries established diplomatic ties in the early 1980s.