The former Beijing bureau chief of the New York Times offers a revelatory history of the complicated, combative and often secret relationship between China and the United States during the past three decades.. The fragile friendship between China and the United States has always been shrouded in secrecy, miscommunication, rivalry, fondness and fear. Shaped by the Cold War during the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan presidencies, the relationship has changed dramatically under Bush and Clinton. China and the United States may be the two most important countries in the world over the next several decades, but until this book nobody has truly explored the history of their relationship. Patrick Tylers booka remarkable, inside accountwill be the classic work on this subject, essential reading for anyone concerned about foreign policy past and foreign policy future.