Obama Takes on China-US Ties (Al Jazeera, QATAR)

Al Jazeera Beijing correspondent Melissa Chan looks at what changes - or otherwise - Barack Obama will bring to US-China relations.

A week into the White House it is abundantly clear that President Obama's top priority will be saving the US economy. Along with two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and countless intelligence reports of terrorist threats around the globe, the presidential in-tray is brimming with issues demanding attention.

It's an overwhelming list - one in which China, of all relationships, would seem to be the last of American priorities. So what will the new Obama administration mean for US-China relations? The short and not very exciting answer is: probably not much different from the Bush administration. Or, indeed, if circumstances had been different and US voters had opted instead for a McCain administration.

Interdependence
U.S. candidates say a lot of things on the campaign trail, and Obama has had his share of tough words for China. But like others before him, the reality of the situation forces a distinct change of tune once they actually find themselves inside the Oval Office.

The United States and China are two interdependent powers, and there is no choice for either of these countries but to have a productive working relationship. As such the economy - and the pressing need for both countries to work together to improve the situation – will remain the overriding issue in the relationship.

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