For China to trust the US, American elites indicated that it is necessary to enhance communication, understand cultural differences, and improve fair trade, the trade deficit and diplomatic cooperation. Similarly, Chinese elites urged communication and cooperation, non-interference in Chinese internal matters, reduced political posturing, and respecting and understanding China.

But how we lead and what we're trying to convey to the rest of the world is what I am focused on, because it was easier for people to understand what was meant when you said we were indispensable after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet Union and before the consolidation of the rise of not just China but the other so-called BRICs.