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.

Despite China's desire to make its rapid ascendance in the 21st century as non provocative as possible, the key to ensure China's peaceful rise lies in two-way integration and engagement. A closely integrated China with the rest of the world and China's acceptance of existing international norms and rules may compel China to behave in a more predictable and responsive way. This co-edited book examines China's rising military capacity and the complex feelings its neighbors, such as Taiwan, South Korea and India, have toward the increasingly powerful China. The focus of this book is on the efforts made by China to brand her non-aggressive image through promoting public diplomacy and expanding regional free trade and cooperation in Asia and Latin America. It uses the cross-Taiwan-strait relations as a testing ground for the prospect of peace between the two former adversaries. China's Quiet Rise will help readers understand why integration, instead of isolation and containment, may be the most effective way to facilitate China's peaceful rise.