“An Affirmative Agenda”: Key Findings of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Task Force on U.S.-China Relations

In April 2007, the Council on Foreign Relations published the report of the independent task force it had convened to consider to a range of critical issues in the U.S.-China relationship. This distinguished group of specialists recommended that U.S. strategy toward China be directed toward an “affirmative agenda of integrating China into the global community” and identified steps to move toward that goal. In a conference call program for National Committee members, the task force’s co-chairs, Dennis Blair and Carla Hills, discussed some of the group’s key findings. Particular attention was given to trade issues, noting that there are economic imbalances on both sides that need to be corrected. The panelists also said that there are a range of issues where the United States and China have parallel interests – such as natural disasters, pandemics, search and rescue operations – that could be sources for productive dialogues that would serve to strengthen the relationship.