The first state visit to the US by Hu Jintao, Chinese president, next month presents an important opportunity for both countries to establish a more productive path to further mutual interests. With the US as China’s second largest trading partner and China as America’s third largest our countries are economically intertwined in such a way that we are increasingly dependent on each other’s success. Yet notwithstanding the incentives we have to work together, the relationship between the US and China is in need of improvement.

Throughout the 1990s, the US business community was a forceful advocate for China, especially in supporting its accession in 2001 to the World Trade Organisation – an important milestone in China’s rise. But as US businesses continue to encounter restrictions on their access to China’s markets and as China’s enforcement of intellectual property rights remains weak, the US business community faces challenges in continuing to be an advocate for China.