All of a sudden Washington and Beijing are back on track, after a series of reversals brought their relations to the breaking point.
Much deeper forces are now at work binding the two together in the Pacific.
PNS editor Franz Schurmann, author of several books on China, is professor emeritus of history and sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. If Harry Wu's arrest brought the U.S. and China close to their first breakup in over two decades, his release signals the start of a new and even tighter embrace. Beijing is also the destination of former president George Bush who will be attending an upcoming conference on food. In October President Clinton will meet with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. That same month Chinese premier Li Peng will visit America's close neighbor Canada.