Shared concerns will trump bilateral disputes between the world's largest developed power and largest developing nation

Sino-US relations have been on a roller-coaster in recent years and that has shaped the direction of bilateral ties although the relationship has managed to scrape past last year's political transition in Washington.

The road to smooth ties, however, got a lot bumpier this year after the arms sale move to Taiwan and US President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama.