CGTN: San Francisco a new starter for China-U.S. relations

BEIJING, Nov. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden had a candid and in-depth exchange of views at the Filoli Estate, San Francisco on Wednesday. This much-anticipated summit took place a year after the two presidents met in Bali, Indonesia.

During the meeting, President Xi called on the two countries to build together five pillars for bilateral relations and assume a new San Francisco vision facing the future. He stressed that China is consistently committed to having a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship with the United States. At the same time, China has interests that must be safeguarded, principles that must be upheld, and red lines that must not be crossed.

China hopes that the two countries can be partners that respect each other and coexist in peace. American economist Jeffrey Sachs said the idea of mutual respect, cooperation, dialogue, and joint problem-solving is "really wise, and of paramount importance," according to Xinhua reports.

Admittedly, the two countries still face some strategic disputes. President Xi stressed at the summit that two countries need to jointly manage disagreements effectively instead of letting them become a chasm that keeps the two countries apart.

In fact, before, during and after the Xi-Biden summit, the two sides have reached a series of important consensuses on functional issues including climate change, artificial intelligence, counternarcotics cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

China-U.S. engagement and cooperation on these issues are essential to promoting dialogue and understanding between the two sides, and reducing the risks of conflicts and confrontations caused by miscalculations.

China-U.S. cooperation is also a manifestation of responsibility toward the international community. During the summit, President Xi called on China and the United States to jointly shoulder responsibilities as major countries, stressing that the problems facing human society cannot be solved without cooperation between major countries.

Joseph Nye, a University Distinguished Service Professor and former Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, emphasized that decoupling is impossible between China and the U.S., as no country can tackle climate change, the pandemic threat, or other transnational problems alone.

China, as the largest developing country, and the U.S., as the largest developed country, are vital in promoting global economic growth. In the meanwhile, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and important participants in the current global governance mechanism, the two countries also play a crucial role in addressing global challenges

From Bali to San Francisco, the giant ship of China-U.S. relations has sailed through hidden reefs and rapids. But San Francisco is not a destination. The city, which has witnessed the century-long history of exchanges between Chinese and American people, is a new starter for the China-U.S. relationship.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-11-16/San-Francisco-a-new-starter-for-China-U-S-relations-1oMtcW3ua1q/index.html