The year 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of normalization of Sino-U.S. relations. Over the past 30 years, the bilateral relations have developed by twists and turns. It is not until recent years that some stability and forward-looking exchanges have returned to the central stage, albeit tension, grievances, and mistrust continue to persist. Washington has encouraged China to become a "responsible stakeholder" in the world affairs, while China has urged the U.S. to work with China to build a "harmonious world." Both sides want to work together to solve their differences through dialogs and negotiations. In the wake of the worldwide financial crisis of 2008-2009, China has contributed greatly in financing the crumbling U.S. financial market and lent a helping hand in stabilizing the world economy. Nevertheless, the foundation of the relationship remains very fragile and the long-term prospect for a constructive cooperative relationship is still full of uncertainties. For many Americans, China's increasing global reach and growing political and economic influence constitute the greatest challenge to world dominance by the United States. As a result, some perceive China's rise as a threat to Americans' core national interests. The recent changes in the global geostrategic landscape and economic interdependence have suggested that some new ideas, factors, conditions, and elements are shaping the relations between the two countries. The task of Thirty Years of China-U.S. Relations: Analytical Approaches and Contemporary Issues is to explore these factors, issues, and challenges and their impact for the bilateral relations in the 21st century.

As the newest addition to the America in the Twentieth Century series, this book explores the complexity of America in what is considered its darkest era of thecentury. The decade stood in stark contrast to the carefree, happy-go-lucky days of the Roaring Twenties when prosperity appeared endless. The Stock Market Crash in October 1929 and the economic collapse it unleashed threatened the very foundations of America's economic, political, and social institutions. The ecological disaster produced by the Dust Bowl ravaging the Great Plains only added to the suffering and misery. Yet the decade was not just one mired in complete disorder. The 1930s were also a vibrant period of innovation, transformation, and in some cases, even optimism. Politics, beginning with Herbert Hoover and continuing with Franklin Roosevelt, underwent a fundamental transformation, ushering in an activist state and firmly establishing the idea that through prudent federal policies, it was possible not only to orchestrate an economic recovery but also to prevent future economic downturns. Workers, African Americans, ethnic Americans, and women responded tothe era's challenges through their newfound political voice in Roosevelt's New Deal and through the institutions and communities they created to alleviate their suffering. Culturally, the 1930s also proved to be a boon to America, ushering in the Golden Age of Hollywood as millions of Americans looked to movies as a momentary refuge from their daily plight. For all the hardship and despair of the 1930s, there was also a vitality that defined the decade.

For the past several decades, China has been transforming itself from an isolated and backward agrarian society into an economic superpower with global interests and responsibilities. Over 300 million Chinese have been lifted out of poverty and China now enjoys the fastest growing and third largest economy on earth. Not surprisingly, numerous changes in China's foreign relations have accompanied the astounding transformations in the country's domestic politics and society. Perhaps most surprising to some observers is Beijing's aggressive foray into the so-called developing world. This co-edited book focuses on China's increasing engagement with many of the less developed countries-particularly those in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East-and explores the current and future trends in Beijing's foreign relations. The old and hackneyed call for revolutionary struggle and world revolution has been consigned to the dustbin of history. In its place is a concrete pledge to construct a 'win-win' relationship with any country willing to deepen ties with Beijing. Dancing with the Dragon will help readers gain a greater understanding of China's foreign relations in this critical part of the global community.

Toward Better Governance in China takes a fresh look at the latest efforts made by Chinese leaders to promote governance-based reform. It asserts that the improvement of governance has now become one of the breakthrough points of the much anticipated political reform. Although the Chinese government continues to play down expectations about political reform, many small-scale reform experiments have been quietly undertaken by Chinese leaders at various levels in recent years, including the new round of administrative reform centered on the creation of "super ministries," the enlargement of inner-party democracy within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the strengthening of local legislative bodies, and judicial reform designed to promote judicial independence and rule of law. This strategy calls for strengthening governing capacity and changing government functions. One of the advantages in placing the improvement of governance first is that it is less risky than embarking upon a full-scaled electoral reform. Electoral democracy is undoubtedly an important element in a functional democracy. But equally important is the effectiveness, transparency, accountability, and openness of the governing process. Better governance implies greater transparency, open deliberation and participation, and less adversarial political confrontation and conflict. If constructed properly, China may become the sort of democratic administration or administrative democracy that Robert Dahl discussed in 1947. Clearly, political reform of this kind does not follow the conventional wisdom of a democratic transition which places heavy emphasis on electoral reform or the precedence of the electoral reform to the government reform. This book is intended to shed some new light on the ongoing debate about the direction of China's political development.

As the newest addition to the America in the Twentieth Century series, this book explores the complexity of America in what is considered its darkest era of thecentury. The decade stood in stark contrast to the carefree, happy-go-lucky days of the Roaring Twenties when prosperity appeared endless. The Stock Market Crash in October 1929 and the economic collapse it unleashed threatened the very foundations of America's economic, political, and social institutions. The ecological disaster produced by the Dust Bowl ravaging the Great Plains only added to the suffering and misery. Yet the decade was not just one mired in complete disorder. The 1930s were also a vibrant period of innovation, transformation, and in some cases, even optimism. Politics, beginning with Herbert Hoover and continuing with Franklin Roosevelt, underwent a fundamental transformation, ushering in an activist state and firmly establishing the idea that through prudent federal policies, it was possible not only to orchestrate an economic recovery but also to prevent future economic downturns. Workers, African Americans, ethnic Americans, and women responded tothe era's challenges through their newfound political voice in Roosevelt's New Deal and through the institutions and communities they created to alleviate their suffering. Culturally, the 1930s also proved to be a boon to America, ushering in the Golden Age of Hollywood as millions of Americans looked to movies as a momentary refuge from their daily plight. For all the hardship and despair of the 1930s, there was also a vitality that defined the decade.