U.S. Secretary Hagel’s China visit and President Obama’s trip to Asia illustrate the almost impossible balancing act of American Foreign Policy in the region of assuring the United States’ Asian allies that America will stand by them in a future conflict with China, while simultaneously mollifying Chinese fears of U.S. containment and precluding a deepening of Sino-Russian ties.

China has always valued military secrecy, however Richard Weitz explains that in recent years China has advanced in terms of transparency and the importance of clear communication between China and the U.S.

The just concluded visit of US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to China may send a signal that developing a new type of major power relationship is not a near-term possibility. The zero-sum Cold War mentality of Washington elites, together with present-day alliance structures, may prove an insurmountable barrier, writes Clifford A. Kiracofe.

Yu Sui hopes that Chuck Hagel’s current trip in China can provide positive momentum for the formulation of the new-type major-country relationship between China and the United States.

Against the background of building a new type of great power relationship, Secretary Chuck Hagel’s visit to China will push the China-US military relationship to a higher level, writes Zhao Xiaozhuo.

Secretary Hagel’s visit will help remove obstacles and overcome difficulties, facilitate exchanges and cooperation, and build a new type of Sino-US military relationship, writes Wu Zurong.

Following criticisms from international relations scholars like John Mearsheimer and Iskander Rehman, Xu Shiquan addresses the issue of Taiwan and China’s “one country two systems” policy to explain how the United States and China can find a win-win opportunity while avoiding conflict.

Following China’s recent participation in the U.S.-led Cobra Gold exercise, Nicole Yeo explains how the U.S. military can bridge the gap between personal experiences from the exercises and their larger, intended implications for Sino-U.S. military relations.

Reflecting on US-USSR relations during the Cold War, Mel Gurtov explains many exaggerations that policy analysts and US officials perceived were due to a Cold War mentality and points out that Sino-US relations may be impacted by similar misinterpretations today.

Wu Zurong responds to Professor James Holmes’ article on Taiwan, arguing that a win-win outcome for the Taiwan Strait should replace Holmes’ strategy for “winning without fighting.”