BEIJING — When you play with fireworks, there is no big shock in seeing them explode. The surprise comes when you light one, toss it and nothing happens.

Over the last decade, that's been the story of the United States and China. Despite plenty of gunpowder and matches, detonation has failed to occur.

For a long time, Americans have seen the Chinese as a security threat, and not without reason. We fought each other in the Korean War — known here as "The War of R ...

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