The new vision of building a "constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability" agreed on by Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in their meeting in Beijing is conducive to finding the right way for the two countries to get along well with each other, said a Chinese scholar on international politics on Friday.
The new vision will provide strategic guidance for the development of China-U.S. relations over the next three years and beyond, Xi said when holding talks with Trump, who just concluded a three-day state visit to China on Friday.
Xi defined "constructive strategic stability" as a positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, a sound stability with moderate competition, a constant stability with manageable differences, and an enduring stability with promises of peace.
At a time of growing global uncertainty and accelerating changes unseen in a century, the consensus reached by the two heads of state sends an important message: China and the United States should choose dialogue over confrontation, cooperation over conflict, and stability over turbulence.
Su Xiaohui, an associate research fellow at China Institute of International Studies, stressed that the new positioning of China-U.S. relations embodies the consistent principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and is of far-reaching significance to promoting the stable, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.
"Indeed, there is significant attention on the itinerary of Trump's visit to China. All parties are closely following his state visit. As this state visit unfolds, all eyes are naturally on the new positioning of China-U.S. relations. First and foremost, the new positioning signifies broader opportunities for the two countries. Or rather, it is more conducive for the two countries to further explore the right way for them to get along well with each other. Speaking of the right way of getting along well with each other, we know that the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation proposed by President Xi Jinping. We have also seen that, while the U.S. side has accepted the three principles, its responses have varied in terms of rhetoric and actions," said Su.
"Nevertheless, the development of relationship between China and the United States continues to face complex challenges. Some have described the interactions between the two heads of state during Trump's state visit as a crucial juncture, which could lead the two major countries toward greater cooperation or slide into conflict. Some media outlets have even said that the two countries have narrowly avoided a conflict. Therefore, repositioning the bilateral relationship at this time is essential, and the very essence of the new positioning is strategic stability," she said.
For many years, China and the United States have been striving to properly manage differences. At the same time, when it comes to the "constructive strategic stability" between the two major countries, other countries have taken note that this involves not only security and military dimensions but also economic and trade relations.
The "constructive strategic stability" should be a sound stability with moderate competition, said Su.
"When it comes to how the two major countries should get along with each other, China has once again made it clear that major countries may engage in competition, but such competition should be healthy, not vicious. In other words, the two sides can help each other succeed rather than causing harm that ends up hurting both. At the same time, from the new positioning, we can see that China is actively and proactively shaping China-U.S. relations. When we speak of China's role in the shaping process, it becomes clear that the new positioning is not a unilateral initiative put forward by China alone. President Xi has made it very clear that this is a shared vision endorsed by the two leaders. Furthermore, looking ahead at how bilateral relations will unfold, it cannot be that the United States continues to undermine bilateral ties, and suppress, contain, and encircle China, while expecting China alone to minimize the damage and salvage the relationship. That is not the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other. With the new positioning, we see a clear set of shared objectives between China and the United States. Looking forward, moving in the same direction will be a path jointly upheld by both sides," she said.
New positioning for China-US ties conducive to finding right way to get along well: Chinese scholar
