When the US and China use the word “strategic” to denote their relationship of adversarial symbiosis, it can mean they are trying too hard. President Bill Clinton worked hard towards a “constructive strategic partnership” a decade ago, only to see his progress evaporate amid acrimony over Nato's war in Kosovo and the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

Barack Obama appears similarly determined to relegate mistrust as the two sides engage in their inaugural “Strategic and Economic Dialogue” in Washington. He has invested considerable effort to change the bilateral relationship's perennial default setting from rivalry to co-operation.

His dispatch of energy secretary Steven Chu and commerce secretary Gary Locke – both Chinese-Americans – to Beijing as part of a series of confidence-building overtures this year was a smart move. So was the visit to Beijing of Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker and arch human rights critic, who unveiled a gentler message, emphasizing environmental co- operation.