US Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick (L) and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo shaking hands before opening the first China-US strategic dialogue scheduled on August 1 in Beijing.

The first China-US strategic dialogue is held today in Beijing. US Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo sat together and exchanged views on sensitive and major international issues of common concern, focusing on both practical questions and ideological principles. At a sensitive moment when the relations between the two countries remain intricate and the US concern over China mounts, such a strategic dialogue is very timely and significant, which not only opened new prospects but might point out the direction of Sino-US ties.

The so-called strategic dialogue refers to the conducting of frank exchange and direct communication between countries over the most concerned bilateral and more-than-bilateral strategic issues, so as to ensure long-term and stable development of bilateral ties by reducing misjudgment, dispelling suspicion, increasing trust and clarifying principles and objectives. Whether strategic dialogues can be realized and the effect they can achieve have become important standards of bilateral relations.

Over a long time, many American and western people, out of their Cold War mindset, have been clinging to the idea that strategic dialogue is "reserved" for one's allies. A dialogue between non-allies, especially one between "potential rivals" like the United States and China, they believe, will get nowhere or even turn out a losing proposition because no sincerity is involved.

Gratifyingly, the US leadership quickly responded to China's suggestion despite the noise and made careful preparations for the dialogue. This sends at least two positive signals: first, Washington's China policy makers have accepted the reality, both strategically and psychologically, of a fast-moving China and begun to think deeply on how to realize long-term coexistence with such a new power; secondly, the United States is ready to exchange views with China in a frank manner over important strategic issues on a global scale.

The essence of China-US strategic dialogue lies in the fact that both countries, with an open mind and rational attitude, constructed between them a new communication platform and long-term coexistence framework. So, it is unlike strategic dialogues between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, which are aimed at weakening each other; unlike talks between the US and its allies, which often target a third party; and also unlike previous China-US talks in history, which are largely driven by external threats or set to respond to a crisis.

First China-US strategic dialogue opens in Beijing

Therefore, this is a brand-new strategic dialogue focusing on "how to achieve peaceful co-existence between a rising power and an existing superpower" conducted against the backdrop of deepened inter-dependence upon globalization, broadened cooperation fields including anti-terrorism and anti-nuclear proliferation and more rational bilateral ties through "deeper contacts", a dialogue over kernel interests and realistic concerns of both sides based on strategic cooperation, trust building and common ground seeking in an effort to reach the ultimate goal of co-existence and common security and development by avoiding conflict and reducing friction and misjudgment.

Such a big question, of course, cannot be resolved by a single dialogue, or though dialogue channel alone. As a matter of fact, since the diplomatic relations normalized nearly 30 years ago, China and the United States have established dozens of communication platforms or mechanisms, including the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, Defense Consultative Talks, human rights dialogue, anti-terror cooperation and energy policy talks. The strategic dialogue this time complements and deepens those mentioned above and also creates a friendly atmosphere for higher-level bilateral talks, that is, talks between state leaders.

We wish the strategic dialogue a success, and we all the more hope these various dialogue mechanisms be given real and full play, to finally open a new chapter in history by forming a fresh relation pattern between the two big countries as the United States and China.

This comment by Yuan Peng, research fellow and vice-director of the Institute of American Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, is carried on the first page of People's Daily Overseas Edition, August 1, and is translated by People's Daily Online.