Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday, left abundant legacies of promoting positive relations between China and the United States, including advocating that uniting the two countries for peace and progress is far more important than their differences.
Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president of the U.S. from 1977 to 1981, died at his home in Plains in the southern U.S. state of Georgia. according to a statement issued by the Carter Center.
Carter was born on Oct 1, 1924, in the southeastern U.S. state of Georgia. He held the record as the longest-lived former U.S. president, outliving his two successors, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Following his term in office in 1981, Carter embarked on several visits to China, showcasing his enduring dedication to fostering positive relations that extended well beyond his presidency.
During his visit to China in 2014, Carter stated in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV) that while many differences may arise between the United States and China in the future, what unites them for peace and progress outweighs what sets them apart.
"We knew that China and the United States had different culture, different ancient history, different form of government, different interest. We solved the differences. So, we anticipated that in the future, there would be many differences between our two countries. But we also realized, I think accurately, that the things that bind us together for peace and progress are much more important than the things that divide us one from another. And of course, the United States has always been very deeply involved in Asia and in the Western Pacific. It's not a new thing," Carter said.
Moreover, the former U.S. president highlighted that currently, the combined influence of countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa far exceeds that of the United States.
"We understand that in the past, after the World War II was over and particularly after the Soviet Union dissipated into Russian and 12 or so other countries, that the United States became the only world power that could be called a superpower. But now we see that the combined effect for Brazil and Russia and India and China and South Africa and other countries of much more important collectively than the United States," Carter said.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter leaves lasting legacy in fostering China-U.S. relations
China will take further steps to expand high-standard opening-up and create a new landscape of win-win cooperation in 2026, which marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said in a recent interview with China Media Group.
Wang said opening up and cooperation for mutual benefit are integral to Chinese modernization. This year, China will actively expand voluntary opening up.
The country will steadily open up such areas as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, while accelerating comprehensive pilot and demonstration programs for expanded opening-up in the services sector, he noted.
"We will expand the scope and regions of unilateral opening-up and ensure the implementation of zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for all African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. We will vigorously promote the effective implementation of policies for special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, further enhance the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, optimize the regional layout and coverage of pilot free trade zones, and support these zones in carrying out more robust institutional opening-up trials in areas such as market access, environmental standards and government procurement, so as to better leverage their role as comprehensive pilot platforms for reform and opening-up," said Wang.
Wang said China will promote the orderly planning of cross-border industrial and supply chains.
Efforts will be made to deepen economic and trade cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhance integration and connectivity across production and supply chains, and encourage cooperation in areas including green development, the digital economy, green minerals, new infrastructure and new energy so as to help build global production and supply chain partnerships that are equal, inclusive and constructive, he noted.
"We will give play to the platform role of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, expand overseas marketing networks and explore international markets through outward investment, achieve mutual promotion between investment and trade, and advance the integrated development of trade and investment. We will also improve the overseas comprehensive service system and the national-level overseas comprehensive service platform," said the minister.
In addition, China will participate constructively in global economic governance, according to the minister.
In 2026, Wang said, China will pursue flexible and pragmatic approaches to negotiate trade and investment agreements with more willing countries and regions, while strengthening economic and trade cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as BRICS, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to further promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
China to expand high-standard opening-up to foster win-win cooperation: minister
