New agreements on collaboration in such areas as agriculture, grain production, civil aviation, high-speed railways, law enforcement, and military-to-military relations will further deepen interdependence. Xi’s visit has increased mutual confidence, reduced mutual suspicion, with achievements that made it a milestone in bilateral relations.

There is no denying that elements of competition exist in China-U.S. relations, but strengthening bilateral cooperation still forms the heart of the two countries’ policies towards each other.

After heated discussions, even confronting debates, the 7th S&ED has still achieved more than 190 results, which clearly illustrates the solid base for bilateral relations.

This election cycle will likely bring out U.S. politicians from both sides of the aisle to blame China for U.S. economic woes. However, as China greatly increases its outbound investment, it would be a missed opportunity to not engage economically.

Just as U.S. President Bill Clinton expressed to Chinese President Jiang Zemin in 1996, both countries need to rely on the common interests of combating climate change and strengthening mutual security. This can happen with improved and people-to-people interaction.