It is not difficult to see that a rapidly rising country of 1.3 billion people is uncontainable. Nearly all countries on this planet regard China as a major economic and trading partner, and therefore would not follow Washington in its efforts to contain China's rise.

The United States has enough trouble in other parts of the world that it has no more resources to spare to contain China, not to mention Obama's troubles at home. He was forced to cancel his trip to attend ASEAN summit last October because of government shutdown.

Above all, contrary to the conventional wisdom that when a country gets stronger, it also becomes more assertive and aggressive, China's rise is peaceful. That is no accident, China's peaceful rise is rooted in its fundamental character as a socialist country, a third-world country, and a country of Oriental civilization.

China follows its "Wang Dao" (kingly way, or benevolent government) tradition, which is diametrically opposed to "Ba Dao" (hegemonic way, or rule by force). So to avoid the "Thucydides trap", China's President Xi Jinping proposed to establish a "new-type great power relationship" with the United States, and he reached agreement with U.S. President Obama in their California shirtsleeve meetings.

It is true, containment is only part of U.S. strategy. The other part is engagement. The two countries have far more common interests than differences, not least a $500 billion annual economic relationship.

Unlike the former Soviet Union, China does not seek hegemony. It does not challenge the world order dominated by Washington as it is a beneficiary of that order. And as Xi noted: the Pacific is huge enough to hold both the United States and China and all the other countries in the region.

It would be wise for Washington to follow George Kennan's advice: treat China with the most exquisite courtesy and respect.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.h5a3.com/opinion/zhaojinglun.htm

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