Washington (GNP): Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng on Wednesday called for real actions to advance a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability, ahead of President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington.
Xie made the remarks in an essay published in People’s Daily, just before Xi’s state visit to the US from 23 to 25 September at the invitation of President Donald Trump.
He said building the constructive relationship envisioned by the two leaders was not a slogan but a matter of concrete actions moving in the same direction.
The ambassador urged both sides to use the visit as an opportunity to set the right direction for bilateral ties, expand consensus and remove distractions from the relationship.
He described head-of-state diplomacy as the anchor and compass guiding China-US relations, noting that 2026 marks a pivotal year for the ties between the two countries.
With Xi’s visit, the two presidents are expected to complete reciprocal visits within six months, making the trip Xi’s second state visit to the US following his first eleven years ago.
Xie called the visit a milestone in China-US relations and in international affairs more broadly, pointing to Xi’s role in charting new direction and momentum for the ties over the past decade.
He said the past eleven years had shown that attempts to decouple from China or sever supply chains had proven impossible, and that conflict or confrontation between the two countries must be avoided.
The ambassador referred to the concept of constructive strategic stability agreed by Xi and Trump during their May summit in Beijing, describing it as the most important political consensus reached between the two leaders.
He explained the concept as combining positive stability built on cooperation, healthy stability with competition kept within limits, constant stability with manageable differences, and lasting stability underpinned by expectations of peace.
Xie said China and the United States shared far more common interests than differences, urging both sides to expand cooperation across the military, law enforcement, health, agriculture, tourism and science and technology fields.
On competition, he said the two countries should compete constructively in areas such as artificial intelligence, focusing on innovation, safety and improved global governance rather than confrontation.
The ambassador also addressed trade tensions, saying recent progress in economic consultations showed both sides could address each other’s concerns when approaching talks with equality and mutual respect.
He said managing differences depended on good faith, adding that commitments once agreed upon must be honoured rather than reversed.
Xie reiterated that China’s sovereignty, security and development interests could not be infringed upon, naming Taiwan, democracy and human rights, its political system, and its right to development as red lines.
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Beyond government-level ties, the ambassador highlighted growing people-to-people exchanges, noting that recent US polling showed warming American public opinion towards China.
He cited a Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey showing 57 per cent of Americans support friendly cooperation and engagement with China.
Xie also noted that Xi’s “50,000 in five years” initiative, launched in 2023 to invite American students to China, had reached its target two and a half years ahead of schedule.
He referenced the story of retired US teacher Ronald Sakolsky, who helped fund tree-planting efforts in China in 1999 and recently reunited with his former collaborator Yin Yuzhen, calling it an enduring example of grassroots friendship between the two nations.
Xie Feng said, “Head-of-state diplomacy is the anchor and the compass for China-US relations.”
