A few days ago, I was in Washington, DC for a conference. On the sidelines of the conference, I met some American friends. We had an interesting discussion about China-US relations. It seems to me that a debate is going on in the United States on that subject. There are mainly two different viewpoints in the debate. The first camp believes that the China-US relationship is going through a rocky course and has dropped to a “low point”, with many tough issues surfacing. The second maintains that the overall China-US relationship is good, notwithstanding the present difficulties. I share the second viewpoint for the following reasons:
First, the foundation of the China-US relationship remains strong. Let me quote President Xi Jinping’s speech at the opening of the sixth round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue on July 9th:
“In the past 35 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, relations between China and the US on the whole have moved forward and made historic progress, although there have been ups and downs. There are now over 90 mechanisms for dialogue, and last year, the bilateral trade volume exceeded $520 billion, bilateral investment accounted for over $100 billion. There are over 41 pairs of friendly provinces or states from both sides, and 202 sister cities. People-to-people exchanges exceeded 4 million every year. China-U.S. cooperation not only benefits our two peoples, but also promotes peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole.”
Both in China and the United States, there are people complaining about the lack of strategic trust between the two countries. They mentioned quite a few facts to illustrate their worries. No one can deny the facts. However, every coin has two sides. A comprehensive vision for the China-US relationship is very much in need. I went to the United States for the first time in 1971 to attend the UN General Assembly Session. At that time, the trade between China and the US was merely 5 million US dollars. Last year, it amounted to 520 billion US dollars. In the 1970s, 80s and even 90s, such a rapid growth in bilateral trade was beyond anybody’s imagination. If there had been no mutual strategic trust, how could this growth have been achieved? It would simply be inconceivable. I strongly believe that mutual strategic trust can be achieved and strengthened through practical projects of cooperation. It thus calls for the two sides to make more efforts to increase our cooperation in all fields.
Second, President Xi Jinping and President Obama have reached an important consensus on the new model of a major country relationship. The two leaders held an informal summit in Sunnylands, California, in June, 2013. They agreed to build a new model of major country relationship. They were determined not to let the bilateral relationship slip into a Thucydides trap. This summit had a historic significance. Never in history had an established power and a rising power made such an agreement. The two leaders mean what they say and have decided to steer the China-US relationship towards a new model of major country relations, for the benefit of the two countries and the rest of the world.
Third, we have a series of mechanisms through which we can talk to each other and manage our differences. I don’t deny the existence of many problems in the bilateral relationship. The China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. If we look around the world, no bilateral relationship is problem-free. There are problems when the relationship moves backward. There are problems when the relationship stays at a standstill. There are also problems when the relationship moves forward. I think that most problems have appeared along with the advance of the China-US relationship.
China and the United States are two quite different countries. We have different histories, traditions and cultures. We have different political and social systems. It is quite natural that we have problems. What matters is that we have a series of mechanisms to cope with those problems. President Xi Jinping and President Obama meet frequently. They call each other by telephone from time to time and they exchange letters. At a ministerial level, our two sides meet regularly. In addition to track I exchanges, track II is quite active and dynamic in our mutual consultations on issues concerning the relationship.
Ms. Susan Rice, the U.S. President’s National Security Advisor, came to China not long ago to prepare for the forthcoming visit of President Obama to China and his participation in the APEC Summit. She met President Xi Jinping, State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Her talks with Yang Jiechi lasted more than eight hours. Both sides were quite happy with that visit, because it enabled the two sides to enhance mutual understanding, coordinate policies on global issues and pave the way for the success of President Obama’s forthcoming visit to China.
A few weeks ago, I gave an interview to an Asahi Correspondent based in Beijing about the China-US relationship. He focused on the problems. I said there was no denying that there were problems in China-US relationship. What is more, one should not underestimate the problems. However, what determines the quality of a bilateral relationship are common interests. The common interests between China and US far outweigh the differences. In trying to properly manage our differences, through various mechanisms, summit meetings, strategic and economic dialogues, etc., the two sides are learning how best to deal with their differences, and consequently, our bilateral relationship is growing mature.
The US is the only superpower in the world today. China is the largest developing country and the second largest economy. A good, stable and robust China-US relationship is not only good news for the two countries, but also for the rest of the world.
