For example, China's National People's Congress, the legislature, could hold regular hearings on issues concerning the US. How about one on the Iraq War to condemn one of the world's worst human rights disasters in recent decades? And while the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, we see a similar situation unfolding in Libya and Syria, as Jihadists are gaining strength in bloody sectarian violence. The arming of rebels by the US to overthrow foreign governments has clearly worsened the situation.

There is no doubt that the US role in these nations has posed a far greater threat to world peace than the tensions in the South China Sea and East China Sea, tensions that some US politicians and interest groups are trying to cash in on.

Or for example on cyber security, the US has repeatedly pointed fingers at China over this, including taking the provocative action of indicting five People's Liberation Army officers a month ago. China has chosen to exercise restraint otherwise it could easily announce a most-wanted list of five US National Security Agency chiefs.

A Washington Post report on Tuesday said the NSA has been given wide authority to conduct surveillance, including spying on the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the International Atomic Energy Agency and, of course, almost all foreign governments. All these mean that the US has to put its own house in order before pointing accusing fingers at everyone else.

The good thing is, in the past days, senior leaders in both countries, including President Xi and US Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew, have expressed hope that the relationship can be moved forward and the sixth Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing next week will be productive. President Obama needs to make a statement soon to reaffirm the US commitment to the new type of major country relationship and to halt a drift towards strategic rivalry that has worried so many people in the past months.

The author, based in Washington, is deputy editor of China Daily USA. Email: [email protected]

(China Daily 07/04/2014 page8)