Review and Prospects.docVIP

Review and Prospects 　　2016 was eventful for both China and many other countries. In addition to growing regional conflicts and incessant terrorist attacks， the U.S. presidential election， Britain’s referendum vote to leave the EU （Brexit）， disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea， and the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense （THAAD） system in South Korea have all heightened uncertainty in international politics. The world order poses great challenges to China’s diplomatic work. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put it in a speech last December， 2016 could be summed up with two words―“volatility”and “turbulence.” 　　 2016 in retrospect 　　Sino-U.S. relationship remained stable but eventful. 　　Ties between China and the United States remained stable in 2016 despite various incidents. Meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama in Beijing in 2014 and Hangzhou in 2016 have helped the two countries strengthen strategic communication， build mutual trust and disperse doubts， thus ensuring the sound development of ties. But strategic doubts still remain， especially where geopolitics， territorial sovereignty and economic interests are concerned. The South China Sea disputes， in which Washington played a behind-the-scenes role， and the deployment of THAAD are just two examples. 　　Since Donald Trump’s presidential election victory， Chinese-U.S. relations have shown some worrisome signs. On December 2， Trump had a phone conversation with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen. In spite of explanations from the president-elect himself and the White House’s spokesperson afterwards， the call cast a shadow over bilateral relations. Since the People’s Republic of China and the United States established diplomatic ties 37 years ago， such an incident had never occurred. Moreover， Trump’s chosen cabinet members and their attitudes toward China indicate the growth of bilateral relations may face great challe