China and the United States are two biggest economies. Our interests are so intertwined. The two countries are interdependent over the past decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Our trade and business relations have made remarkable achievements, benefiting the two countries and benefiting the world. We are natural partners, because our economies are highly complementary.

Over the past half a century, the China-U.S. relationship has kept moving forward despite twists and turns. It has not only had a profound impact on the two countries, but has also changed the course of history and the world significantly. The world today is going through major changes unseen in a century. As two big countries different in history, culture, social system and development stage, China and the United States are entering a new round of mutual exploration, understanding and adaptation, trying to find a way to get along with each other in the new era. The China-U.S. relationship has once again come to a new critical juncture, facing not only many difficulties and challenges but also great opportunities and potentials. Where this important relationship will be headed is vital for the well-being of the Chinese and American peoples and for the future of the world. The two peoples and the international community hope for a sound, stable and growing relationship between the two countries.

Both China and the United States are countries of significant influence in the world. We share important common strategic interests in a wide range of areas, including economic cooperation and trade, security, public health, energy, and environmental protection, and on major international and regional issues. In particular, mutually beneficial and win-win China-U.S. economic cooperation and trade benefit our two peoples and promote the economic growth in the Asia Pacific region and the world at large. Indeed, they have become an important foundation for China-U.S. relations.

Under the present complicated and fluid international situation, a growing relationship between China and the United States not only serves the interests of our two countries and peoples, but also contributes to world peace, stability and development. China would like to work with the United States in taking our relations forward.

The relationship between China and the United States is not a conflict between the two peoples, but a contest and confrontation between two systems and two ideologies.

History has proven time and again that both China and the United States will benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. China seeks to develop a new type of major country relationship with the United States. As for the US side, it needs to act with sincerity, match its words with deeds and take concrete actions together with China to stabilise the relations and prevent further deterioration.

It is undeniable that a severe conflict or confrontation between China and the US will be an unbearable disaster for the world. China believes that a major country should behave like one. Instead of provoking block confrontation for self-interests, it should bear in mind the interests of all, resolve differences through exchanges and cooperation and meet the aspirations of countries in the world. China and the US should not forget the history and need to draw lessons from history. China and the US have different systems and are different in many other ways. However, this should not keep the two sides from seeking common ground and common interests to grow bilateral ties and deepen cooperation.

It is neither popular nor constructive to hold on to the Cold War zero-sum mentality and play up geopolitical conflicts and major power competition. China and the US are both major countries in the world. As the biggest developing and developed country, China and the US have a responsibility of defending world peace and stability and promoting economic prosperity and development.

China and the US should properly handle differences, brave difficulties and find the right way to get along. The past few years have seen China-US relations at record low since forming diplomatic ties. I believe you all know the cause to such a difficult situation. The world is big enough for countries including China and the US to grow together. The right way for China and the US to get alone is following the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

The Chinese and the Americans are great peoples. The Americans are optimistic, full of enterprising drive, down to earth, and innovative. In just over 200 years, they have turned the United States into the most developed country in the world, and made phenomenal achievements in economic development and science and technology.

Enhanced interactions and cooperation between China and the United States serve the interests of our two peoples and are conducive to world peace and development. We should stay firmly rooted in the present while looking ahead to the future, and view and approach China-U.S. relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. We should, on the basis of the principles set forth in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués, respect each other as equals and promote closer exchanges and cooperation. This will enable us to make steady progress in advancing constructive and cooperative China-U.S. relations, and bring more benefits to our two peoples and people of the world.

What is it like to be China? How different from that would it feel to be the United States?

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than forty years ago, China-U.S. relations have made historic progress, despite some twists and turns and the many differences in our social systems, histories, cultures, and approaches to development. We are ready to work with the United States to respect each other, peacefully coexist, and pursue cooperation.

Because of the economic crisis, China and the United States are bound together. This is a totally new phenomenon, and nobody will fight for ideology anymore. It’s all about business.