The fifth round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) has been concluded and it has produced two lists of the outcomes of the S&ED on the strategic and economic tracks. What have impressed people most is a monumental blueprint for a new model of a major-country relationship.

Are the U.S. and China headed for a “new great power relationship?” In a rare and exclusive interview with Christiane Amanpour, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai said that it’s “obvious” that the countries need each other.

ASEAN has always been careful to balance the status of the major powers rather than allow the forum to indulge power games, writes Zhou Shixin. If ASEAN tries to choose sides in the forum, or seek hegemony in the region by use of the forum, it will lose the very confidence it has worked so hard to build.

As time progresses, regional trade agreements have grown in number. Although these agreements are effective and beneficial to those nations involved, they cannot and should not replace the global "free-trade" framework.

At the heart of China’s request for a new type of big power relationship with the US is a demand for greater symmetry in bilateral negotiations, writes Pang Zhongying. Only a roughly symmetrical relationship can be stable.

With a new type of bilateral relationship, China and the US should achieve trust in politics, economic complementarity, cultural exchange, military interaction and diplomatic consultation, writes Yu Sui.

The Xi-Obama Sunnylands summit came at a crucial time in the bilateral relationship. The weekend meeting, which featured a variety of discussions including a new great-power relationship and increasing mutual trust, was seen as a step in the right direction for Sino-US relations.

Existing problems in the Sino-US relationship should not be considered as barriers for building a new type of Sino-U.S. relations, but should be taken as the driving power, says Chen Jimin.

The Xi-Obama Summit at Sunnylands provided an opportunity for the leaders of two global powers to confront challenges facing their nations. While many hope for an optimistic relationship moving forward, Chen Xiangyang encourages a sober approach as the long-term relationship develops.

The Xi-Obama summit in early June was a unique experience for the two leaders to discuss a wide range of important topics. However, due to a variety of domestic and structural issues, the topic of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was hardly touched upon.