Washington Report, 2006-05

Abstract

U.S.-China relations currently are beset by a broad range of economic, diplomatic, and security challenges. Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Bush proved unable to realize notable progress on these issues during Hu's much-anticipated visit to Washington on April 20. Prof. Robert G. Sutter of Georgetown University does not foresee major breakthroughs in U.S.-China relations in the near term owing to both countries' intense preoccupations, both internal and external. He sees a period of "marking time," which will enable the United States and China to confront these challenges in a constructive manner. As he also maintains in China's Rise: Implications for U.S. Leadership in Asia (East-West Center Washington: 2006), notwithstanding China's rise in Asia, the United States will continue to be the dominant power in the region for at least the next decade, if not longer.Washington Report is a bimonthly newsletter that provides an "inside-the-Beltway" perspective on developments in U.S.-Asia Pacific relations. The centerpiece of the report is an interview with a leading authority on an economic, political, and/or strategic issues of importance to transpacific relations.