The desire for peace, mutual respect, and economic cooperation is already winning the hearts and minds of everyday people on both sides of the Pacific. Their voices may seldom make the headlines, but they are a critical foundation of this important relationship.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, Chinese and U.S. leaders should look beyond the recent deadlocked Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and use their next U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue to make further progress in promoting nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation, and supporting the safe and secure peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Talks on the bilateral investment, the South China Sea and military-to-military relations should help leaders and people in both countries confidence in each other and make China-US relations stand the test of challenging times.

China’s reclamation work offshore is not threats to other countries, but will improve the region’s weather forecasting and maritime-rescue capacity. The US and other countries, as well as international organizations, will be welcome to make use of the facilities it will build, so as to advance cooperation on humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

The Secretary of State deepened the understanding between two countries at this critical time, but the chatter around the visit reminds both countries that consensus is easy to reach but hard to actualize. Upcoming high-level meetings, including President Xijping’s September State visit to Washington, provide opportunities to expand that critical understanding.

Since the end of last year, the chess game over the South China Sea has grown bigger, with more outside players, bringing the situation to a new stage on the eve of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Challenging as it is, the creation of a new type of major-country relationship will provide a constructive model for future relations between rising powers and incumbent powers, writes Fu Mengzi.

Making progress on a China-U.S. bilateral investment treaty is difficult. There are a variety of economic and political factors that could create setbacks, but both sides need to make a concerted effort to overcome these challenges because concluding an agreement would be in the interests of both parties and the world at large.

The real challenge in the major power relationship is not how good it will be, but the degree to which it could present less risk, writes Zhou Bo.