Xi Jinping Delivers Direct Message to Pres. Biden

China’s Pres. Xi Jinping, in a direct message to Biden, stresses the pivotal role of China-U.S. ties amid global changes. Despite differences, mutual respect and cooperation are crucial. Pres. Xi Jinping hopes for extensive discussions on critical bilateral and global matters, emphasizing the leaders’ shared responsibility for world peace and progress.

Mr. President, good morning. Coming here, I think of your trip to China when I was the vice president of China. We had a meeting. It was 12 years ago. I still remember our interactions very vividly. And it always gives me a lot of thoughts.

Last time we met in Bali, you said it was a year and a day ago. A lot has happened since then. The world has emerged from the COVID pandemic but is still under its tremendous impacts. The global economy is recovering, but its momentum remains sluggish. Industrial and supply chains are still under the threat of interruption, and protectionism is rising. All these are grave problems.

The China-U.S. relationship, which is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, should be perceived and envisioned in a broad context of the accelerating global transformations unseen in a century. It should develop in a way that benefits our two peoples and fulfills our responsibility for human progress.

China-U.S. relationship has never been smooth sailing over the past 50 years or more, and it always faces problems of one kind or another yet it has kept moving forward amid twists and turns. For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.

I’m still of the view that major country competition is not the prevailing trend of current times and cannot solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world at large. Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed, and one country’s success is an opportunity for the other.

It is an objective fact that China and the United States are different in history, culture, social system, and development path. However, as long as they respect each other, coexist in peace, and pursue win-win cooperation, they will be fully capable of rising above differences and find the right way for the two major countries to get along with each other. I firmly believe in the promising future of the bilateral relationship.

Mr. President, you and I, we are at the helm of China-U.S. relations. We shoulder heavy responsibilities for the two peoples, for the world and for history. I look forward to having an in-depth exchange of views and reach new understandings with you on strategic and overarching issues critical to the direction of China-U.S. relations and on major issues affecting world peace and development.

I wish to thank you for your thoughtful arrangements for our meeting today and for our participation at the APEC meeting. Thank you.

Xi Jinping underscores the significance of China-U.S. ties amid global transformations, urging cooperation over conflict, stressing mutual success and shared responsibilities.

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