In the opening session last month of the China-U.S. strategic and economic dialogue, Chinese President Hu Jintao said it was natural for the two countries to disagree on some issues. What was important, he added, was to "respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, appropriately handle the sensitive issues and strengthen the foundation of mutual trust."
China has been making its core interests — and its readiness to defend them, by force if necessary — increasingly clear. Taiwan is a prime focus of Beijing's drive to achieve national unity.
But senior U.S. officials were reportedly told by Chinese counterparts in preparatory talks for the ministerial-level dialogue that Beijing would not tolerate any interference in the South China Sea, which was now part of China's core national sovereignty interests on a par with the rebel province of Taiwan, and restive Tibet and Xinjiang.