China, U.S. need to explore right way to get along in new era, says Chinese ambassador

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said here Wednesday that the two countries need to uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation and explore the right way to get along in the new era.

Xie gave those remarks when delivering a keynote speech at an event hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council to welcome him as China's new ambassador to the United States.

Noting that China-U.S. relations face challenges, Xie said Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it clear that getting the relationship right is not optional, but something the two countries must do and must do well. The world is big enough for the two countries to develop themselves and prosper together.

President Xi has proposed the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation. They represent the fundamental and right way for the two countries to get along in the new era. Among them, mutual respect comes first, peaceful co-existence is the red line and win-win cooperation is the goal, said Xie.

China has always placed importance on its relationship with the United States, said Xie, noting that China is ready to work with the U.S. side to follow the right direction, enhance dialogue and cooperation, defuse flashpoints and take concrete actions to deliver on the common understandings between the two presidents, so as to bring this relationship back to the right track at an early date.

Xie said that the U.S. should respect China's choice of development path and social system, the Chinese people's right to a better life, and China's core interests and major concerns. These are essential for this relationship to advance in the right direction, with no conflict, no confrontation or no new Cold War.

A pressing task is to bring the Taiwan question, the most significant risk, under control, said Xie. "No one wants peaceful reunification more than China does. We are also the last that wants tensions or warfare across the Taiwan Strait."

The Chinese side has not simulated war games, changed the status quo or stoked any crisis. The Taiwan authorities are seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda, while some in the United States propose using Taiwan to contain China. Xie said these are the biggest threats to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

At present, the most fundamental thing is to fully and faithfully adhere to the one-China principle; the most important is to abide by the three joint communiques with real actions; and the most pressing is to match words with deeds and oppose adventurism and provocation by the "Taiwan independence" forces, he noted.

Xie said the biggest concern of many Americans is that China and the United States slip into conflict and confrontation. Their greatest hope is for this relationship to stabilize. If the world is to become better, the China-U.S. relationship must stop getting worse.

"We are all stakeholders. None of us shall sit idly by. Every one of us needs to take actions, speak up for free trade and open market, as this serves our common interests and the stability of global industrial and supply chains," he said.

Xie called on the business community to stay fair and pragmatic, be committed to cooperation with China and avoid politicizing economic issues. Doing so will bring more positive energy to the bilateral relationship and help both peoples live better lives.

China and the United States have a lot to offer each other in terms of industrial strength. In the last five years, the return rate of foreign direct investment in China reached 9.1 percent. Of the over 70,000 American companies doing business in China, nearly 90 percent are earning profits, he said.

Today's China-U.S. relationship bears on not only the well-being of the 1.7 billion Chinese and American people but also the world's future. Forestalling conflict and confrontation and upholding a stable China-U.S. relationship will promote the common interests of both countries and contribute to world peace and prosperity, Xie said.