China’sRiseIsn’tOurDemise.docVIP

Op-Ed Contributor China’s Rise Isn’t Our Demise By JOSEPH R. BIDEN Jr. Published: September 7, 2011 Related Leaked Cables Offer Glimpses Into Relations of U.S. and China (September 5, 2011) Related in Opinion Op-Ed Contributor: China’s Challenge at Sea (September 5, 2011) Op-Ed Contributor: A Step Toward Trust With China (July 26, 2011) I FIRST visited China in 1979, a few months after our countries normalized relations. China was just beginning to remake its economy, and I was in the first Senate delegation to witness this evolution. Traveling through the country last month, I could see how much China had changed in 32 years — and yet the debate about its remarkable rise remains familiar. Then, as now, there were concerns about what a growing China meant to America and the world. Some here and in the region see China’s growth as a threat, entertaining visions of a cold-war-style rivalry or great-power confrontation. Some Chinese worry that our aim in the Asia-Pacific is to contain China’s rise. I reject these views. We are clear-eyed about concerns like China’s growing military abilities and intentions; that is why we are engaging with the Chinese military to understand and shape their thinking. It is why the president has directed the United States, with our allies, to keep a strong presence in the region. As I told China’s leaders and people, America is a Pacific power and will remain one. But, I remain convinced that a successful China can make our country more prosperous, not less. As trade and investment bind us together, we have a stake in each other’s success. On issues from global security to global economic growth, we share common challenges and responsibilities — and we have incentives to work together. That is why our administration has worked to put our relationship on a stable footing. I am convinced, from nearly a dozen hours spent with Vice President Xi Jinping, that China’s leadership agrees. We often focus on Chinese exports to America, bu