Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has moved aggressively and quickly to secure a stronger role in what she has called the world's most important relationship: U.S. dealings with China. But military and economic tensions between the two powers keep getting in her way......

"The strategic dialogue that was begun in the Bush administration turned into an economic dialogue," Clinton said. "That's a very important aspect of our relationship with China, but it's not the only aspect of our relationship."

In Beijing last month, on her first foreign trip as secretary, Clinton said she and new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner "will both be fully engaged" in discussions with China. Clinton then pleasantly surprised China by saying the Obama administration would not let its human rights concerns interfere with cooperation with Beijing....

Elizabeth Economy, Asian studies director at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Clinton moved quickly in "capturing the China portfolio, but given the nature of the relationship between China and the United States, there's no doubt that trade, currency and investment issues are going to be front and center."....

"The United States usually comes to China with a pretty long list of what we want China to do, and, for the most part, what China wants is to be left alone," Economy said.