US-China G2 Mechanism

Peaceful cooperation between China and the United States can lead to sharing of common interests. Moreover, it is also very important for the two countries to establish a stable psychological structure. Many people say that China and the United States are in the stage like what the Chinese say: 'Sharing the same bed but having different dreams.' That is, the basis of mutual trust between the two countries is very weak or not even having any trust toward each other at all.

Overall, the psychological fear between the two countries is big. If such psychological fear factor remains, if China continues to emerge as a strong nation in the absence of positive interaction between the two countries, mutual psychological fear would also increase, rather than decrease.

Rise of China
It is precisely because of China's rise that China has the ability to take the initiative to engage with the United States. How can China engage with the United States? On one hand, China must have the ready mindset in wanting to engage with the United States; on the other, China must find and establish an interactive platform to engage with the United States.

When the United States engages with China, the United States relies on the Western value of its country to establish a platform filled with a series of international system and regime. Through such a platform, China and the United States have formed a de facto G2, although the G2 itself is without a solid platform.

Economic and Strategic Dialogue
What exists between the two countries now is the economic and strategic dialogue platform. But the main concern of this platform is dealing with matters concerning the bilateral relations between the two countries rather than matters pertaining to global issues. In fact, if these two G2 countries only focus their concern on issues of interest to them, this G2 framework will become unstable. It is only when the G-2 group pays attention to global issues that this G2 platform can stay on and become stable.

Of course, it is clear that if the G2 arbitrarily deciding on important international affairs, the overall interest of the international community will also damage. Allowing these two big countries to dominate international affairs is also not what the international community would like to see happening. If such scenario develops, then the political world environment is no difference in substance from the previous US-USSR Cold War era.

Institutionalizing G2 Structure
As a matter of fact, a de facto G2 has already been formed. But as of today, this G2 concept is just a natural evolution. If G2 wants to institutionalize the G2 structure, it should include a number of institutional innovations, including those coming from China and the United States. In this process, China must change the scenario that it is 'engaged.' China must take the initiative to establish an engagement policy on the United States.

If China wants to avoid the type of conflicts in the past that led to the rise and fall of great powers due to conflicts, China must take proactive and positive measure to engage the United States. It is only through mutual engagement that both countries can reduce, control and even eliminate mutual psychological fear toward each other. Historical experience shows that in international politics, what has led to conflicts among countries is often not because of conflicts in national interest but in the mutual fear of two countries toward each other.