US Should Fulfill Spirit of Call between Heads of State

Published in Guangming Daily
(China) on 7 October 2021
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Jo Sharp. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
On Oct. 6, Yang Jiechi, member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Zurich, Switzerland. The two sides agreed to take action to implement the spirit of the Sept. 10 call between the two heads of state and to make joint efforts to push U.S.-China relations back onto the right track of healthy and stable development.

In the telephone conversation with President Joe Biden a month or so ago, China’s President Xi Jinping had stressed that U.S.-China relations are not a multiple-choice question about whether to get it right, but a must-answer question about how to do a good job. At the time, Biden released a message of dialogue and cooperation. This face-to-face meeting between top U.S. and Chinese officials in Switzerland was devoted to implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state on the phone. The two sides expressed a common desire to strengthen strategic communication, properly manage differences, avoid conflict and confrontation, and pursue mutual, “win-win” benefits. It provides an answer to the “question of the century” of how to properly handle U.S.-China relations.

U.S.-China relations have changed dramatically in recent years. The reason for this is that the U.S. has made major strategic miscalculations about China and seriously misunderstood the bilateral relationship. Therefore, it is vital that the two sides strengthen strategic communications, and particularly that the U.S. adjusts its mistaken perception of China, in order to drive U.S-China relations back onto the right track.

First, the U.S. needs to have a deep understanding of the nature of the mutually beneficial, “win-win” relations between the two countries. For some time now, there has been the misconception within the United States that China has been taking advantage of the U.S. But what are the facts? Taking commerce as an example, total U.S.-China trade has grown from less than $2.5 billion in 1979 to around $629.5 billion in 2020. The American Chamber of Commerce in China recently released a survey showing that optimism among U.S. companies about doing business in China has returned to pre-pandemic levels, reaching its highest point in three years. Just think: If only one side is taking advantage, how could U.S.-China trade and economic relations have developed to the depth and breadth they are today? Why do U.S. companies value the Chinese market so much?

Henry Kissinger once pointed out in his book, “Does America Need a Foreign Policy?” that “a constructive relationship between the United States and China is not a favor either country does for the other and it will withstand the stress of time only if it is based on some conception of common interest.” In the meeting, the Chinese corrected the misunderstanding of some in the U.S. by clearly expressing China’s opposition to defining U.S.-China relations in terms of “competition.”

At the same time, the U.S. should also correctly understand China’s domestic and foreign policies and strategic intentions. China has repeatedly stressed that it has no intention of challenging or supplanting the United States; rather, it seeks to constantly surpass itself. China does not have a strategy for hegemony, only a strategy for development meant to provide a good life for the Chinese people. Some in the U.S. define China as the United States’ “biggest strategic competitor” or even its “imaginary enemy.” Doing everything possible to shift the blame for domestic problems to China is clearly the wrong remedy. The greatest challenges facing the United States will always come from within, so it might as well base itself upon managing its own affairs properly and becoming a better version of itself.

The outside world has noticed that the U.S. has recently taken some positive positions about U.S.-China relations: indicating that it has no intention of containing China’s development, not pursuing a “new cold war,” adhering to the “One China” policy, and so on. These statements are very important, but actions speak louder than words. The U.S. cannot say it has no intention of holding back China while at the same time it uses any means possible to suppress China. The U.S. should actually respect China’s sovereignty, security and development interests and stop using issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, maritime matters and human rights to interfere in China’s internal affairs. This is the prerequisite for putting U.S.-China relations back on track.

History and experience prove that when the U.S. and China confront each other, both nations, as well as the rest of the world, suffer serious harm. If the U.S. and China cooperate, then they and the rest of the world will benefit. This is why Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at the Aspen Security Forum in August, called on the U.S. and China to strive to engage with each other to avoid a clash that would be disastrous for both sides and the world. He also hoped that the U.S. would change its hard line against China.

From Anchorage to Zurich, two high-level, face-to-face meetings between the U.S. and China this year have demonstrated the willingness for dialogue and cooperation the world has been waiting for. To avoid conflict and confrontation, and to seek mutual benefit and a “win-win” for both sides, the United States and China not only need to maintain regular dialogue and communication, but they also must expedite using the consensus they reached during the call between their heads of state. In particular the U.S., which has stirred up trouble, should let the world see it calm things down as soon as possible.



当地时间10月6日,中共中央政治局委员、中央外事工作委员会办公室主任杨洁篪同美国总统国家安全事务助理沙利文在瑞士苏黎世举行会晤。双方同意采取行动,落实9月10日两国元首通话精神,共同努力推动中美关系重回健康稳定发展的正确轨道。
  约一个月前,中国国家主席习近平应约同美国总统拜登通电话时强调,中美关系不是一道是否搞好的选择题,而是一道如何搞好的必答题。当时拜登总统也释放了对话合作的信息。 此次中美高层在瑞士举行面对面会晤,就是致力于落实两国元首通话达成的重要共识。双方表达了加强战略沟通、妥善管控分歧、避免冲突对抗、寻求互利共赢的共同意愿,为回答如何处理好中美关系这个“世纪之问”提供了答案。
  近年来中美关系急转直下,究其原因在于美方对中国作出重大战略误判,对双边关系存在严重误读。因而,双方加强战略沟通,特别是美方调整对华错误认知,对推动中美关系重回正轨至关重要。
  首先,美方应深刻认识两国关系互利共赢的本质。一段时间以来,美国国内存在一种谬见,认为中国一直在占美国的便宜。但事实呢?以经贸为例,中美贸易总额从1979年的不到25亿美元增长至2020年的约6295亿美元。中国美国商会日前发布调查报告显示,美国企业对中国业务的乐观程度已经恢复到疫情前水平,达到3年来的最高点。试想,如果只是一方占便宜,中美经贸关系怎么可能发展至今天的深度和广度?美企又何以如此看重中国市场?
  基辛格博士曾在《美国的全球战略》一书中指出,“中美两国发展合作关系不是一方施予另一方的恩惠,而是符合双方的共同利益”。 中方此次在会晤中明确表示反对以“竞争”来定义中美关系,是对美方一些人认知误区的校正。
  同时,美方还应当正确认识中方内外政策和战略意图。中方一再强调无意挑战或取代美国,而是追求不断超越自己。中国没有争霸战略,只有发展战略,目的就是让中国人民过上好日子。美方一些人将中国定义为“最大战略竞争对手”甚至是“假想敌”,千方百计想把国内问题转嫁到中国身上,显然是找错了药方。 美国面临的最大挑战永远来自其内部,不妨也立足办好本国的事情,成为更好的自己。

  外界注意到,美方近来在中美关系上有一些积极表态,比如表示无意遏制中国发展、不搞“新冷战”、坚持一个中国政策等,这些表态非常重要,但行胜于言。 美方不能一边说无意遏华,一边穷尽手段打压中国。美方应当切实尊重中方主权、安全与发展利益,停止利用涉台、涉港、涉疆、涉藏、涉海、人权等问题干涉中国内政。这是推动中美关系重回正轨的前提。
  历史和现实证明,中美对抗,两国和世界都会遭受严重损害;中美合作,两国和世界都会受益。正因此,新加坡总理李显龙今年8月在参加阿斯彭安全论坛时呼吁,中美两国必须努力与对方接触,以避免一场对双方乃至世界都将是灾难性的冲突。他同时希望美方转变对华强硬路线。
  从安克雷奇到苏黎世,中美高层今年以来两次面对面会晤,展现了世界期盼的对话合作的意愿。避免冲突对抗、寻求互利共赢——中美不仅需要为此保持经常性对话与沟通,更应加快落实两国元首通话共识,尤其是美方这个“系铃者”应当尽快让世界看到它的“解铃”行动。
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