I am personally interested in [China's] overall culture, history and business trade. My commerce is simple and affords me a living. The history and culture have always been a fascination of mine even before I started traveling there. And cultures range from primitive to very modern, all in the same country. Also, watching China develop is in many ways the way America developed. Watching China is like watching the Industrial Revolution in America in fast motion, fast forward on a camera.

Chen Linlin

(English teacher at Shanghai-based Yangsi High School, who has an English name "Linda")

I am very confident in the future of the Sino-U.S. relationship—we have more and more common interests. The two governments must take cooperative strategies that are based on respecting each other to get a win-win situation.

Although we work together, we don't know enough about each other's social and cultural habits, mentalities and ideologies clearly. There are differences between us, and common people should get to know these things. Many Americans come to China to travel or to work, but they barely understand Chinese culture and Chinese people. I would rather say that their understanding about us is very shallow.

About the "China threat," I think it is ridiculous, because basically there is no such possibility. China, a friendly nation historically, is very cautious when dealing with world affairs.

If there are economic conflicts between us, we should know these are inevitable in the process of globalization. Yes, China's economy is developing rapidly. But can't America have an open heart to allow other countries' economies also to develop? In my opinion, America should think about helping to set up an open, just and orderly international competition system.

Xi Fengyao

(Editor of a legal magazine in Beijing)

The Sino-U.S. relationship is still very complicated. I would say that bilateral ties include both elements of cooperation and confrontation.

During World War II, America offered precious help to China. We will never forget this, which actually adds to Chinese people's favor of Americans. Besides, Chinese civilians risked their lives to rescue American pilots whose planes were destroyed by the Japanese army at that time. And Americans will not ignore this either.

Today's bilateral ties are different from those between any two big countries at any period in history. Our economic tie is so tight that no trade war can loosen it. For example, China's foreign currency reserves are mostly made up of U.S. dollars. If China [reduces] its U.S. dollar reserves, America's economy will be greatly affected. Now, China supplies major portions of the items used daily in the United States, and the two countries are bound together by demand and supply on some level.

Along with China's peaceful development, we will have some disputes. The reason is that there are differences in state interests. China's development will bring greater influence in the region and the world at large. The traditional South Korea-Japan-Australia-America alliance is not as tight as before, which means the other three countries are not following the United States step by step any more. When America feels threatened, it will take political, economic, military and even legislative actions to protect its own interests. China need not panic about this, because this is a natural approach a developed country takes toward a developing country that is rising rapidly. The United States should also realize that if it were not China, there would be other countries that grow to be its competitor in some fields.