BOSTON: Since there are more conflicts in a close relationship than a superficial one, the US' trade ties with China will see more disputes.

This seemed to be the message of a nationwide program in the US to discuss its relationship with China.

Sponsored by the National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR), the events featured presentations by China specialists, as well as a discussion between Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Christensen and committee president Stephen Orlins, which was webcast live from Washington, D.C.

The program, referred to as China Town Hall, covered 30 cities across the US (the vast majority of which held their events on Thursday night) and was designed to stimulate dialogue on China across the US. Though NCUSCR, a non-profit group headquartered in New York City, was the national sponsor of the program, each event was co-hosted by a local organization involved in some way with China.

In Boston, for instance, the host was the Boston Children's Museum, which has several China-related programs and events.

It was Daniel Rosen, a visiting fellow of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, who told the audience to be prepared for more trade tension between the US and China in the years to come.

To a great extent, however, such tension is a sign of success and an inevitable by-product of the two countries' economic ties getting closer, he said.

Pointing out that the US has had the most trade conflicts with Canada because of its close economic relationship with it, Rosen said superficial relationships are marked by far less conflict than close ones.

So instead of wasting energy on drafting legislation to punish China, Rosen suggested that the US accept China's strength - its extraordinary endowment of labor - and stop trying to protect dying US industries. It's better that Washington focus on its own advantages like its high-tech industry.

The bottom line, Rosen said, is that a successful US-China relationship must be characterized by mutual trust and enthusiasm for one another's growth.

After Rosen's speech, the audience at the Boston Children's Museum turned its attention to the live webcast of Christensen's conversation with Orlins.

Speaking from the nation's capital, Christensen, whose sole responsibility is China, talked about the progress the US had made in its relationship with China, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.

Set up in 1966, the NCUSCR is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization promoting understanding and cooperation between the US and China. It believes that sound and productive Sino-US relations serve vital American and world interests.

In 1972, the NCUSCR sponsored the historic visit of China's ping-pong team to the US. Since then, it has accumulated over four decades of experience developing innovative programs between the two countries.

(China Daily 06/05/2007 page2)