The US mid-term election, many observers say, could have an impact on US strategies and thus affect China-US ties.

President Xi Jinping proposed a "new type of major power relationship" between China and the US and US President Barack Obama agreed to it. But since the concept is unprecedented, China and the United States should endeavor to avoid worst-case scenarios in bilateral ties, even if they do not pursue the best. To strengthen the emerging China-US ties, therefore, the two sides have to clear the latent dangers on the path to global peace and prosperity.

The biggest concern in China-US ties is supposedly identity related - China's rise will pose a challenge to the US' second-to-none "patriotic" policy. To prevent this challenge and accommodate China's rise, Washington has to change some of its policies, including "American exceptionalism" and "manifest destiny".