Next month President Obama will be going to Beijing and he has the opportunity to make history and finally make good on the Nobel Peace Prize given to him rather prematurely at the beginning of his first term.

In his “Getting Real About China” op-ed from the New York Times, General Wesley Clark describes China’s rise as a threat to the international system and U.S. hegemony. In contrast, Stephen Harner examines the assertions and explains why he hopes future administrations will not follow Gen. Clark’s advice.

China’s small naval exercise with Iran last month was unremarkable in its military importance but helps illustrate the larger strategic calculations facing Beijing as China tries to manage its trilateral relationship with Tehran and Washington.

Feng Zhaokui discusses the broader points of a 2011 whitepaper on “China’s Peaceful Development” – specifically the need to make address regional “hotspot” issues like the Diaoyu islands conflict with Japan. By solving the issues outlined, Feng argues regional stability alongside economic prosperity is possible.

Does Tokyo’s military buildup have something to do with the recent thaw in relations between China and Japan? Franz-Stefan Gady explores the recent tensions between the two nations and analyzes the changes being made to Japanese defense forces since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has taken power.

"Is China going to compete for world power?" Most people in China, if asked such a question, would show little interest in seeing the country fighting for world power with the U.S., and still less in becoming another U.S.

The US President Obama is scheduled to attend the annual APEC meeting and to visit China in early November. It gives the world an encouraging signal when Susan Rice said that Obama considers his visit as an important milestone in building important relations between China and the US, writes Wu Zurong.

Are India and Japan attempting to contain China while becoming Asia’s new industrial center? Liu Junhong explores this question and the recent meetings between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

Following Xi Jinping’s first state visit to India, Fu Xiaoqiang examines the Sino-Indian relationship and discusses how China can work with India to improve bilateral relations and ensure peaceful coexistence.

Haiyang Shiyou 981 (HYSY 981) is a state-of-the-art, semi-submersible oil platform – the first of its kind for the China National Offshore Oil Corporation. Zheng Wang and Andrew Ludwig explore the HYSY 981 and discuss whether it will enhance political cooperation or fuel greater tensions in the South China Sea.