Chinese president Hu Jintao (R) meets visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Beijing, Mar. 20, 2005.

In the last ten days of March, the temperature is changing abruptly in Beijing, just like the present Sino-US relations. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice paid a visit to Beijing in such a season. Though the visit is a set diplomatic arrangement, but it is of special significance.

Rice's view of China has already had a rough mark that can be followed, which includes the reiteration of "one-China" policy, the orientation of "candid constructive cooperation", repeating the statement by former US Secretary of State Colin Powell that "the Sino-US relations are in the best period in history", welcoming "the take-off of a self-confident, peaceful and prosperous China" and wishing China to become US global partnership.

Generally speaking her positive tune and optimistic gesture eliminated people's worries that her China policy might deviate Powell's though there are mixed negative comments on China's Human rights, the religion issues and US criticism on the EU's lifting of its arms embargo on China.

The relative reason with an objective and positive gesture toward China is an effective balance for the adverse current on China policy rising suddenly in US at present.

In recent two years, the US conservative forces have restarted the so-called "China threat" centered on the issues of EU's lifting of arms embargo on China, the China's adoption of the Anti-Secession Law and the worldwide spread of China's development of military strength and China's influence; those including US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Central Intelligence Agency Director Porter Goss used harsher words to say at the congressional hearing that China's take-off might pose a threat to US; the "2 plus 2" meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Japanese foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and defense chief Yoshinori Ono openly listed the Taiwan issue as one of their discussion topics with deep impact on the good atmosphere of Sino-US relations; at the beginning of US President George W. Bush's second term of office Bush evidently focused its foreign agenda on the Middle East, the Central Asia, the EU and Russia.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) meets with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Beijing, March 20, 2005

It seems that US gave China the cold shoulder purposely. All these have caused worries about Sino-US relations. At such a special moment, Rice is obviously drawing attention from the people in the world when receiving assignments to visit China. The series remarks by Rice before and after her visit to China show that US will not only continue to push forward the development of the constructive cooperation ties between the United States and China, but also will take "China's take-off" as its central topic for its Asian-Pacific strategy. The United States would also like to see "the peaceful and prosperous take-off of China". All these will undoubtedly be of positive significance for advancing the continuous development of Sino-US relations.

The one that merits even more attention is that Rice made the above-mentioned remarks under the background of big cabinet reshuffle in Bush's second term of office. The "new conservative" persons including Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz are moved or will be moved out of the US cabinet, which will make Rice's status in American national security decision rise virtually. So it is can be said that her view of Asia and that of China will decide the future of Bush's policies on Asia and China during his second term to a great extent.

The direct contacts between Chinese and US leaders will undoubtedly have active results in enhancing trust and reducing misgivings on the issues including the Korean nuclear negotiation deadlock and the EU's lifting on its arms embargo on China, especially the Taiwan Straits situation after China's adoption of the Anti-Secession Law.

Rice's visit to China has officially started the process of the high-level strategic dialogues between China and the United States. Through 30-year normalized exchanges, especially via the effective cooperation on the issues of anti-terrorism and Korean peninsular nuclear question after September 11 Incident, the Sino-US relations have entered into a new level and stage. And the central content of Sino-US relations is how to effectively deal with the structural difficult problem of long-term peaceful co-existence between a big country that is emerging and the existing supper power. Therefore, China and the United States need high-level strategic dialogues.

Rice's visit to China has been only a prelude to her strategic dialogues with China since her taking office. More extensive and deeper contacts between various levels of stratum and departments of the two countries are needed for the long-term and stable development of the Sino-US relations.

By People's Daily Online