The dragon and the eagle try to get along; Bush goes to Beijing; The superpower and its growing rival look for common ground.

Publication: Global Agenda

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Economist Newspaper Ltd.

In China last weekend, George Bush and his counterpart, Hu Jintao, made friendly noises but little progress. The two countries continue nervously to appraise each other's intentions

HU JINTAO, China's president, has a favourite phrase these days: "harmonious world", in which countries of different outlooks live together in peace. Mr Hu first unveiled this idea, more Lennon than Lenin, in a speech at the United Nations (UN) on September 15th. During recent visits to Asia and Europe, his official talks have been peppered with it. George Bush no doubt heard it himself during his visit to China at the weekend. Mr Hu does not say so himself, but the Chinese media have made it clear that "harmonious world" is, in part, a rebuff to American "hegemonism".

Mr Bush isn't short of opinions on China's rise either. In Kyoto, before arriving in Beijing, he said: "As China reforms its economy, its leaders are finding that once the door to freedom is opened even a crack, it cannot be closed." He went on to heap lavish praise on Taiwan's democracy, in a move that was sure to irritate his hosts in China, who consider the island to be a renegade province.

Yet America and China offer each other opportunities as...

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