Cui Tiankai Discusses China-US Relations: China Develops To Renew, Not Compete

China is developing to renew itself, not to compete with America, says Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States.

Cui spoke to Chinese exchange students at a Chinese New Year get-together in Washington, D.C., emphasizing that China’s development aims for renewal and prosperity, not hegemony.

“China’s development could probably influence international order, but it can only make it fairer and more rational; we did not say that China intends to demolish it and start over,” said Cui.*

He also points out that, along with China’s rich development, China is melding more and more into today’s international setup, from which the U.S. can also benefit greatly.

This is the 35th year since the establishment of China-U.S. diplomacy, and, in Cui’s eyes, China-U.S. relations are those between a civilization walking a route of renewal and a country with status as an international leader. The U.S. is very aware of hardships: As the Big Brother of the world, it worries that someone will want to take its place in power, but it believes that, by achieving a harmonious friendship with China, the benefits will outweigh the costs. If China wants to move toward modernization and hopes to share an environment that is stable, harmonious, relaxed and economically beneficial, then, it must first secure its relationship with the United States. To make ends meet, the two countries have begun to satisfy each other’s needs and hope for mutually profitable results.

Cui focused his talk on the hidden worries of China-U.S. relations. He says that there are some people with a Cold-War mentality who do not support such relations between China and the United States, as well as third parties who have wanted to join them, including Japan and other countries. This is because, instead of challenging China’s power by themselves, they seek to rely on the wealthy U.S. for help.

“Therefore, China-U.S. relations will continue to confront complex issues. China and the U.S. will still experience moments of conflict with one another, but, overall, I still hope that China-U.S. relations will move steadily toward a new direction. I have confidence in their future,” says Cui.*

*Editor’s note: Accurately translated, the quotations in this article could not be verified.