US-China Relations: How Can They Build a Framework for Cooperation?

Published in Nishi Nippon Shimbun
(Japan) on 6 September 2016
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Fatuma Muhamed. Edited by Rachel Pott.
Cooperation or antagonism: Where will America and China's relationship go from here? That is the question the Group of Twenty summit made us consider.

At the G20 summit in Hangzhou, President Obama met and talked with Xi Jinping, the Chinese head of state.

The conference was the world's last look at a frank discussion between the two leaders during Obama’s tenure. Their talks summarized U.S.-China relations under the Obama administration, and they also drew attention as a forecast of the next presidential era.

It was announced that before the summit, both nations had ratified the Paris Agreement, a series of measures to combat global warming. I can appreciate that America and China, the top two global economic powers, are undertaking measures to combat the global issue of climate change. Obama advocated this as one of the benefits of cooperation, saying, “China and the United States are prepared to show leadership and to lead by example.”

On the other hand, it was clear they disagreed on the field of military defense. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled against China's continued military expansion in the South China Sea – a ruling that Obama wanted China to accept. Xi, however, made it clear that he rejected the court's decision.

At the summit, Xi once again expressed his objection to America’s deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile system in South Korea. Neither country's leader could hide the depth of the gulf between them.

If we look back on Obama's seven and a half years in office, we can see how he has shifted gears. Initially, he sought a way to work with China to address important issues in the world. However, as China has laid bare its heavy-handed means of diplomacy, such as its oceanic military expansion, Obama took up an attitude of vigilance and confrontation.

Will China be a threat to world safety and security from here on out? Or will it fulfill its responsibilities and contribute to the stability of its region? Naturally, China needs to make a rational judgment and choose the path of peaceful coexistence. At the same time, it is vitally important that America guide China toward adopting a framework of international cooperation.

No matter who becomes the next U.S. president, they need to be able to skillfully handle such a tense relationship and remain steadfast in maintaining an open dialogue.


米国と中国の関係は、これから「協調」と「対立」のどちらに向かうのか。そんなことを考えさせられる首脳会談だった。

 米国のオバマ大統領と中国の習近平国家主席が、20カ国・地域(G20)首脳会合が開かれた中国・杭州で会談した。

 オバマ大統領が任期中に習主席と本格的に会談するのはこれが最後となる見通しだ。会談はオバマ政権下の米中関係を総括し、次代を展望する意味で注目された。

 会談に先立ち両首脳は両国が地球温暖化対策の新枠組み「パリ協定」を批准したと発表した。経済規模世界1位の米国と2位の中国が協力し、グローバルな課題である気候変動対策に乗り出すことは評価できる。オバマ氏は「米中は指導力を発揮する用意がある」と、協調の成果をアピールした。

 一方、両首脳は安全保障の分野では対立を際立たせた。中国が南シナ海の軍事拠点化を進めている問題で、オバマ氏が首脳会談で7月の仲裁裁判所の判断受け入れを求めたのに対し、習氏は断固として拒否する姿勢を示したという。

 また米軍の「高高度防衛ミサイル(THAAD)」の韓国配備についても、習氏が会談で反対を表明したとされる。両国間の溝の深さは隠せなかったといえよう。

 7年半に及ぶこれまでの任期を振り返れば、オバマ氏は当初、中国と協調して国際社会の重要課題に対処する路線を模索した。しかしその後、中国が海洋権益の拡大など強圧的な外交姿勢をあらわにするとともに、警戒と対決へ軸足を移してきた経緯がある。

 中国は今後、世界の秩序と安全をかき乱す存在となるのか。それとも地域の安定に責任を果たす大国に落ち着くのか。もちろん中国自身が理性的に判断し、平和と共存の道を選ぶべきであるが、同時に米国がいかに中国を誘導し、国際協調の枠組みに取り込んでいくかが死活的に重要となる。

 次期大統領が誰になるにせよ、米国の指導者は中国との緊張関係を上手に制御し、粘り強く対話を続けていく姿勢が求められる。
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