In contrast, survey results of US-based Pew Research and Gallup show that Americans are more concerned about economic issues, such as the impact of Sino-US trade ties on the American job market and their quality of life. It is thus likely for Americans to misunderstand why the US economy has been sluggish with a high jobless rate and resent the rise of China.

Chinese people, on the other hand, have begun to see Sino-US differences and economic frictions more rationally, and hope they would be resolved according to international rules to achieve win-win results. According to HRCG findings, nearly 40 percent of the Chinese respondents said they understand why the US imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese products.This is surprising development because until a few years ago almost every Chinese found them unacceptable.

With regard to China's rapid economic development, Chinese people believe that Sino-US relationship is far from a zero-sum game with 35.3 percent of the respondents saying the US will be the biggest beneficiary of China's economic rise. In contrast, according to a 2007 Pew Research survey, 45 percent Americans think China's economic rise is a bad sign compared with 41 percent who see it otherwise. The 2007 poll results are more anti-China than the one in 2005.

Fortunately, Chinese social elites play an important role in shaping people's opinion on Sino-US relations. According to HRCG findings, there is a big difference between how Chinese social elites and the general public view Sino-US relations. But social elites, who tend to be more rational in their approach and more concerned about economic issues, have an obvious influence on the public.

The cognitive differences between Chinese and American peoples have their roots in their cultural and psychological traditions. For example, Chinese people cherish their collectivist values while their American counterparts swear by individualism. These objective factors are difficult to change in the short term.

Therefore, to ensure that Sino-US cooperation moves forward steadily, the two peoples should first develop deeper mutual understanding through more people-to-people exchange programs. Besides, the two governments should try to curb their differences and jointly promote pragmatic cooperation in fields where they can enlarge their common interests.

If the differences increase or are left to fester, the trust built between Chinese and American peoples until now could be compromised. Sino-US relations cannot develop smoothly without mutual trust. Let us hope dialogues between the two sides can help remove these differences and improve mutual trust.

The author is vice-general manager of the Horizon Research Consultancy Group.

(China Daily 07/09/2013 page9)