China is now the world’s second largest economy and enjoys an increasingly wealthy and educated population of 1.3 billion. Its rising influence prompts varied reactions in America. Some are quick to encourage a strong embrace of China’s emergence on the world stage; others wish to cast it as the villain in a recreated Cold War dynamic. The U.S. and Chinese governments only resumed diplomatic relations 30 years ago, and both countries have worked to further that relationship since, although not without strains and challenges. There are certainly issues on which the U.S. and China hold widely disparate views, but increasingly the two nations have made progress together on many fronts. Today, the changing and evolving U.S./China relationship demands a practical strategy. Both the U.S. and China can benefit from closer ties and increasing trust.

In connection with Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit to the U.S. in January 2011, Admiral Joseph W. Prueher—the Miller Center James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor and former US Ambassador to China—organized a three-day roundtable in our Washington office for discussion among leaders from various stakeholder groups. The roundtable he assembled included leaders from the academy, government, military, and business. The roundtable formulated a practical set of recommendations to improve and strengthen the relationship of the world’s two leading powers entitled, “A Way Ahead with China: Steering the Right Course for the Middle Kingdom.” The report outlines a path ahead for a relationship which now is of fundamental importance to the prosperity of the entire world. The insights captured here will offer lasting value in discussions and decision-making concerning the future of the U.S. and China and their strategic ties.