Developing Sino-US Relationship Needs Historical Eyesight and Tolerant Heart

Invited by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, China’s Vice President Xi Jinping started his visit to the U.S. on Feb. 13. This is an important start to both countries’ leaders’ communication in 2012. This visit aims to substantialize the establishment of a partnership of mutual respect, mutual benefits and mutual winnings, and to more progressively urge the development of the partnership.

This visit is in the year of the 40th anniversary of President Nixon’s visit to China and the publication of the Sino-U.S. Joint Communique. This visit offers a historical aspect for people to look closely at the Sino-U.S. relationship. 40 years ago, the leaders of both countries, with a politician’s exceptional intelligence and foresight, opened the door of Sino-U.S. friendship that had been long closed. In these past 40 years, the Sino-U.S. relationship has been stable and has made huge progress. On the other hand, both countries do have some different opinions and conflicts on some problems.

Overall, both countries’ common interests outnumber their conflicts. The cooperation of both countries is mainstream. The Sino-U.S. relationship’s historical achievements have bestowed many benefits to the Chinese and Americans; the positive development of the relationship has enabled the world to create a peaceful environment and many opportunities.

The vast Pacific is never an obstacle in separating both countries and the people in both countries. The link between the people in both countries has never been as tight as it is today. The Sino-U.S. relationship has become one of the most important, most energetic and most promising bilateral relationships.

Following the trend and valuing the opportunities are the keys to encouraging the Sino-U.S. relationship to go further. The two leaders’ acknowledgement of establishing a partnership of mutual respect, mutual benefits and mutual winnings has fully demonstrated the characteristics and requirements of the relationship in this new era; this is a Sino-U.S. partnership cooperation based on mutual respect, mutual benefits and mutual winnings. The cooperation has become the norm for the Sino-U.S. relationship, has established the basis of the 21st century Sino-U.S. relationship and has urged the relationship into a new stage.

Recognizing the complexity of the relationship and facing conflicts are crucial aspects of grasping Sino-U.S. development opportunities. The domestic situations in both countries are totally different. The historic stages of development are different. The differences are normal. Differences and conflicts should not become obstacles in the development of the Sino-U.S. relationship. Only more candid recognitions of such differences and divergences, as well as proper strategies to solve them, can raise the level of cooperation. The vast Pacific has enough space to include both countries.

To grasp the development of opportunities, the Sino-U.S. relationship needs to insist on mutual respect. By increasing trust in politics and strategies, both countries will enhance bilateral and multilateral dialogues and cooperation and become close partners, not hostile competitors. If both countries can respect each other’s key benefits and big issues, respect mutual sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect mutual choice of rules and road of development, open sincere talks and urge cooperation, they will for sure realize the common goals of development, mutual benefits and winnings.

The development of the Sino-U.S. relationship has exceeded the range of both countries and has begun to influence the world. As two powerful countries, China and the U.S. undertake the tasks of creating benefits for their own citizens, maintaining a peaceful world as a historical mission, urging global sustainable development and carrying on the hopes and expectations from people of different countries. In this new trend, China and the U.S. should enhance communication, coordination and cooperation in order to maintain and urge world peace and to stabilize and develop constructive and responsible functions.

Every meeting of leaders of China and the U.S. harbors rich historical meaning. The communications of leaders of both countries has led and urged the development of the Sino-U.S. relationship and has influenced global relations. I believe that with the common efforts of both countries, Vice President Xi Jinping’s official visit to the U.S. will finally be successful.