America and China have elevated the bi-annual Strategic Economic Dialogue meetings to bi-annual S&ED meetings. The inaugural meeting took place in Washington DC on July 27-28, 2009. The meetings are no longer limited to financial and economic matters discussed between the U.S. Treasury Secretary and his Chinese counterpart, but now include the U.S. Secretary of State and her Chinese counterpart to also address global geopolitical issues.
“The relationship between the United States and China will shape the 21st century, which makes it as important as any bilateral relationship in the world,” president Obama said in his opening remarks that kicked of the S&ED. Serious words to digest, but the perfect antacid to unnecessary repeated burning economic, financial, ethnic, terrorist and military indigestion attacks. China’s Hu Jintao sent a message to the meeting in which he said China sought a “positive, constructive and comprehensive relationship.” He went on to add: “As two countries with significant influence in the world, China and the United States shoulder important responsibilities on a host of major issues concerning peace and development of mankind.”
The S&ED should be elevated to include at least one annual presidential level meeting. Why not make them even stronger? America and China must step up their dialogue and cooperation in areas of trade, energy, environmental protection, food safety and military cooperation and sign a mutually beneficial bilateral treaty governing their relationship in these areas.
A comprehensive bilateral treaty that brings the two countries closer together would be just as miraculous as Obama’s election victory was. The China challenge is, first and foremost, really about money and military might. Energy and the other geopolitical issues are secondary. The other side benefits of a bilateral treaty are that it would allow U.S. firms to invest in China’s industrial sector and allow U.S. firms in China to settle disputes by international arbitration rather than subject them to the arbitrary rule of law that currently exists in domestic Chinese courts. In turn, China would have an incentive to improve its legal system and to better protect private property rights and intellectual property.
Presidents Hu and Obama agreed in April 2009 at the London G20 to combine the unheard of Strategic Dialogue with the SED into one S&ED. A naturally challenging dialogue in the interlocal global web both countries have spun themselves and each other into in the last 30 years. Nothing of significance came out of the meeting except for the very significant memorandum of understanding between the two regarding global warming, energy and environment that they are both pushing each other from radical extremes. That is one issue they really have to duke out honestly and harmoniously as the cornerstone pillars of their future continuously bonding relationship depends on it. If they can’t solve this one, then humanity is doomed.