Will change of Secretary of State make any difference?

Key Words:John Kerry; U.S.; Secretary of the State;Hillary Clinton; Sino-U.S.;ties;

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The new Secretary of State drew most attention as Obama radically changed his team during his second term in office.

Finally, Hillary Clinton left her post. There are praises saying she is a great Secretary of State who has performed meritorious deeds that should never be obliterated. There are criticisms that she left with a mess behind. But there is no denying the fact that she has lived up to the perfection-oriented U.S. global strategy and is an "aggressive" Secretary of State.

To China, she holds both friendly and hostile attitudes. While making many comments conducive to relations between the two countries, she is responsible for more negative policy behaviors and remarks, being intent on containing China and spreading the so-called "China threat". Now, Kerry has assumed the post. The prevailing opinion among the Chinese and U.S. scholars is that the U.S. diplomacy will go through amendments, or fine-tuning, at least, on the ground of his pragmatism. There are also some people who refuse to place many expectations on Kerry believing that Obama's new appointment of the post will not make a difference.

Kerry has a long diplomacy career. It can be told from his stances in major international issues and sensitive China-U.S. issues as well as his voting records that Kerry is different from Clinton in diplomatic style and is more practical in policy behavior. Besides, he is personally close to Obama and holds very similar diplomatic concepts. Hence, it is understandable that there are expectations of him playing a positive role at the time of transition. It is improper to argue Obama's new appointment will not make a difference at all.

What he has said after he became the Secretary of State is meaningful. He challenged the necessity of the constant U.S. efforts to strengthen its military forces in the Asia-Pacific region by saying that "the United States Should consider carefully" in order to prevent China from feeling the United States wants to contain it. He also said that strengthening relations with the large economy of China was one of the reasons why the United States pursued the Emphasis on Asia policy. These moves of Kerry also give cause for "positive role" expectations.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Chinese leaders have proposed two years ago that both China and the United States should follow the trend of the times to forge "new type of relations between big powers" together. More and more people of insight in the United States have reacted positively to the proposal, to a varying degree. If what Secretary of State Kerry said is serious rather than a bluff, and President Obama is clear-headed following the trend of times for the United States' fundamental and long-term benefits, then, the China-U.S. relations are likely to move in the same direction, the next four years will be a period of golden opportunity for the United States, and the currently troubled China-U.S. interdependence will turn better.

Read the Chinese version: 换“卿”能否换药, source: Jiefang Daily, author: Wang Yusheng

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