BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) — It’s now a prevailing notion that it is always better to have dialogue rather than confrontation. People need smooth dialogue when dealing with one another in a society. And that holds true when it comes to state-to-state relations.
Are China, one of the biggest emerging developing countries in the world, and the United States, the world’s largest developed country, friends or rivals? It would be oversimplifying to give a definition. The complexity and sensitivity of their relationship highlights the importance and necessity of dialogue.
Last week, the third round of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) was held in Washington D.C. and was focused on issues of “strategic, long-term and overall significance.”
The economic track of dialogue, co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, State Councilor Dai Bingguo and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, is termed by some media as a “milestone” in China-U.S. economic cooperation, as the two sides agreed to hold the strategic security dialogue and launch consultations on Asia-Pacific affairs.
Vice Premier Wang described the talks as a “great success” while Clinton called them “productive and comprehensive,” with a long list of agreements and understandings reached.
The success of the dialogue lies in the fact both sides were able to approach their differences with a pragmatic mind.
As Wang said at the dialogue: “China and the United States have far more shared interests and cooperation than differences and competition.” Clinton, on the other hand, quoted a Chinese saying: “When confronted by mountains, one finds a way through. When blocked by a river, one finds a way to bridge to the other side.”
These remarks reflect the growing maturity and rationality of the relationship between the two countries.
No sooner had the S&ED concluded than the second round of China-European Union strategic dialogue got underway in Hungary on Thursday.
The EU, the largest bloc of the developed countries, believes that the importance of China-EU relations has exceeded beyond the bilateral scope.
“The EU and China are key players in addressing global challenges… We can and we should do a lot more together,” Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council currently on a visit to China, said in an article entitled “Managing change in an interdependent world” as a response to an interview request from Xinhua.
As well as for managing relations between states, dialogue is even more indispensable for a country or a nation to promote trust among different parties or factions and resolve internal conflicts.
In Palestine, leaders of Islamic Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah party are to head to Cairo Monday for bilateral talks, sponsored by Egypt, on forming a new independent Palestinian national unity government.
In Syria, a comprehensive national dialogue across the country is expected to be held in the upcoming days in efforts to restore security and stability.
In today’s world, the growing variety of dialogue mechanisms between states and blocs reflects wide acceptance of the values of dialogue which many have come to realize is instrumental in bridging differences, boosting mutual trust and understanding and expanding consensus.
In this sense, dialogue is the best option for all.