Opinion

Shared responsibilities

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-12 13:08

A glimpse of the many outcomes from the third round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) indicates the two big powers intend to shoulder more international responsibilities by working closely together.

This is commensurate with their strength and influence in the world arena. It is more obvious than ever that better cooperation between the world's two largest economies will be crucial to international efforts to address many of today's global woes.

Apart from making progress in strengthening bilateral trade ties, the two countries have vowed to enhance cooperation on a wide range of regional and global issues.

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The to-do list includes: strengthening the global recovery, cooperating under the Group of 20 framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth, and jointly promoting international efforts to assist developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, to achieve the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Beijing and Washington have also vowed to address climate change and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula among others.

All these are instrumental for the common development of our global village and should be regarded as a blessing to all. Both important members of major international and regional multilateral mechanisms, China and the United States have been held accountable by many in the world arena each time the world community searches for solutions to address regional and global issues.

The two countries' commitment to shouldering more international obligations together indicates they now share a lot of common ground on major economic and international issues. It also shows they are willing to look beyond their differences and envision a larger picture where their major concerns and interests converge.

Such a desirable outcome has been achieved through efforts by both countries to expand consensus and build mutual trust. A correct understanding of each other is an important prerequisite for building mutual trust.

It is good to see this week's S&ED meeting held in Washington has made headway in this regard by stating in a political document that the US welcomes China playing a bigger role in international economic affairs, while China recognizes the important role the US plays in the international economic system and in the Asia-Pacific region.

Such visions help each of the two countries to better understand the intentions of the other and to head off any potential misjudgments and unnecessary suspicion.

China's rising economic strength means it will contribute more to the world economic recovery and international financial system reform. And it welcomes a bigger US presence in Asian affairs as long as it shores up regional stability and development.

Such progress embodies a better understanding between the world's biggest developed and developing countries and highlights the importance of the S&ED as a mechanism to facilitate communication between them.