Heading into collective future

China and the US share many things in common, and only better mutual understanding can make their ties stronger

As the 2012 Summer Olympic Games heats up in London, people around the world might be wondering which country will eventually top the medal tally. Will it be the United States or China?

However, few people realize that it was in the US that China became part of the Olympic movement. China's first Olympic appearance was in the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games, and it won its first Olympic gold medal in the same city in 1984.

Many people both in China and the US may have largely forgotten their long-shared history of friendship and cooperation through the Olympics. But their shared history goes well beyond the Olympics. The names of the US and China in Chinese literally mean the "beautiful country" and the "middle kingdom". For the Chinese, these names create images and perceptions of places of attraction and greatness.

Historically, the Chinese and Americans share a lot of similarities; both are very proud of their historical achievements and rich traditions. The US has been an attractive model for the Chinese since the early 20th century, while China was of great interest to the US' founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin once said that China, instead of Europe, would be a better model for the new country to follow, and even described China as "the wisest of nations".

This mutual respect led the two countries to be partners during peaceful as well as turbulent times. China and the US were close military allies in the two world wars. During the Cold War era, however, China and the US found themselves on opposite sides, first directly during the Korean War, then indirectly during the Vietnam War.

Interestingly, both countries share a common trait - that of a national identity crisis. The Chinese wonder whether China is a civilization, a nation-state or a just a state, while Americans ask whether their nation is an empire or a declining superpower.

The important but usually forgotten shared history of the Chinese and Americans should serve as a key reference point when we think of the future of Sino-US relations.

Nobody can deny that Sino-US ties are the most important relationship in today's world. But one key point most people often miss is that their shared history will fundamentally define their present and future relations. China and the US are neither friends nor enemies as the past shows. In many cases, they are in the same boat and their survival and continuous success depend on their mutual cooperation and support.

This mutual cooperation and support is necessary for China to reach its full potential. Despite its spectacular rise in recent decades, China has very limited soft power and has failed to produce a Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or a Nobel Prize winning scientist.

The lack of cooperation originates from misunderstanding. Many Chinese believe they know the US better than the Americans know China. Even some senior Chinese officials let this slip to the Americans. But this is not true. Americans have far better trained China experts than their Chinese counterparts have on America. An average American has more access and channels to understand China than the average Chinese has on America. Moreover, many Chinese don't even understand their own history and traditional culture well enough.

In April 1974, Deng Xiaoping met Henry Kissinger, then US secretary of state, and asked him: "Doctor, are you familiar with Confucius?" In uncharacteristic modesty, Kissinger said: "Not in detail". Although the Chinese are nowadays trying to return to their traditional culture and values to boost their soft power and political influence, I am afraid most of them have to echo Kissinger's answer, "not in detail", when prompted with the same question.

The fact remains that before knowing their own history well enough, the Chinese simply cannot have the tools to understand the US and its China policy and perceptions about China.

Americans, on the other hand, must understand that China is more a civilization than a nation-state. Historically, China has focused more on soft power than hard power to project its influence. Confucian philosophy emphasizes culture, morality and human harmony, while the West-dominated international system from the 18th century has focused more on hard power - military and economic strength, and cut-throat military and economic competition. In contrast to China, the notion of a nation-state has dominated the concept of civilization in the West since the 1648 Peace of Westphalia.

The Americans must keep in mind that many Chinese still suffer from inferiority syndrome and historical-victimization complex, which make them very sensitive to foreign pressure and heavy-handed diplomacy. The Chinese are masters of the means, while the Americans usually practice diametrically opposite diplomacy, predictably causing friction with China.

Although China has adopted the Western way of international politics, it has tried to move back to its traditional values after becoming stronger. For example, China has set up scores of Confucius Institutes abroad and pursues a harmonious society at home.

The key point is that Chinese and Americans both have an important shared history. The future of Sino-US relations largely depends on both countries learning lessons from the past. As China's first global historian Sima Qian wrote more than 2,000 years ago: "Those who don't forget the past will be masters of the future."

It does not really matter whether Chinese or American athletes triumph at the London Games. What is of importance is that Chinese and Americans both need to keep their shared history in mind to ensure that their collective future is in good hands.

The author is professor of History at the University of Hong Kong.

(China Daily 08/02/2012 page8)