Both the US and China wish to improve relations between their countries

The desire to stabilize relations is genuine on both sides. In the days following the San Francisco summit, one felt a palpable sense of relief in both bureaucracies that the meeting, which capped off months of shuttle diplomacy, was a success. During my trip to China in December, nearly everyone I encountered — from policy experts to businesspeople to students and cab drivers — asked whether U.S.-China relations might improve in the coming months. This interest wasn’t surprising given many Chinese believe their country’s development and economic fate still heavily depend on good relations with the United States and the West.