The China-US relationship is, by all accounts, the decisive factor that will shape the future of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. It faces both opportunities and challenges in 2014. A stronger sense of shared responsibilities will put the new model of relations that both sides desire on a more solid footing, writes, Ruan Zongze.

Looking back on the past year, Yu Sui analyzes several geopolitical events and the major interactions between China, the United States and Russia to determine that more positive overtures are needed to construct collaborative relations between the three leading, global powers.

Exploring the prospects of the Obama administration’s rebalancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific, Chen Jimin describes four factors that will constrain the strategy’s success.

On December 16 (Dec 15 US time), 1978, China and the United States simultaneously announced that they would formally establish diplomatic relations on January 1, 1979. Amazing changes have taken place in the past 35 years. Where will the Sino-US relationship head to in the next 35 year? That is a question people of both countries and the world hope to find a satisfactory answer to, writes Chen Yonglong.

U.S. Journalist Tom Plate discusses China’s need for patience in an excerpt from his new book “In the Middle of the Future.”

Following the whirlwind tour of high-level interactions between the United States and China, Qian Liwei examines the synergistic relationship between the two countries and lays out steps for a future built on cooperation.

Chen Jimin analyzes the intentions and strategy behind the Obama administration’s Asia-Pacific rebalance.

The already tense atmosphere in the East China Sea ratcheted up a notch when China declared a new air defense identification zone, writes Margaret Lewis, and the political realities of this increasingly tough neighborhood are frightening.

Li Zhaoxian writes that the interim agreement on Iran does not bode well for a fundamental change in US-Iran relations, and that the eventual resolution of the nuclear issue will likely remain an extravagant hope.

Reflecting on Vice President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia, Stephen Harner analyzes the success of the Vice President’s diplomatic overtures and argues that a “commitment to action and adjustment” is necessary to continue building relations in the region.