China US Photo:VCG

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump at the latter's request on Friday. At a critical juncture as the entire world is MK sportswatching how the two major countries - China and the US - will navigate their future relationship, this phone call was particularly significant. President Xi stated that both countries are great nations and that they "attach great importance to interaction with each other, hope that China-US ties will have a good start in the new US presidential term." Trump emphasized that he cherishes his great relationship with President Xi, noting that "the US and China are the most important countries in the world today, and they should maintain long-lasting friendship and work together to safeguard global peace." The leaders of both countries began direct communication and exchanged views on major issues at such an early stage, and agreed to establish strategic communication channels. This indicates that both sides hope to achieve greater progress in China-US relations from a new starting point.

Head-of-state diplomacy has always served as the "compass" and "zero point indicator" of China-US relations, playing an irreplaceable role in guiding the relationship. If the "RedNote phenomenon" allowed people to witness the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, then this telephone conversation has showcased interaction at the highest level, reflecting both sides' deep understanding of the importance of China-US relations and a positive attitude toward cooperation. In essence, this call set the tone for the direction of China-US relations in the coming period. Following the call, international public opinion was largely positive, with an optimistic mood prevailing. An interesting detail is that traders quickly snapped up exchange-traded funds linked to Chinese stock indexes, which indirectly reflects how sensitive and hopeful the world is about the possibility of a "good start" to China-US relations.

As for how China-US relations will unfold over the next four years and whether a right way for the two countries to coexist in the 21st century can be found, there are many speculations and analyses. However, the key lies in the hands of both China and the US. 

At this critical time of US government transition, the signals sent by both sides to stabilize bilateral relations are especially valuable. In the last month of the Biden administration, the US has released a flurry of new measures that cracked down on China, marked by partisan tensions and irrational emotions, leaving numerous thorny issues for the new government to address. Moreover, the "zero-sum game" mentality of past US administrations has left many "negative assets" in China-US relations, making the road to rebuilding bilateral trust a long one. At the same time, there are many pressing and challenging issues internationally that require joint responses from both countries. The list of matters to address is extensive, and there are numerous problems that need solutions through dialogue. For both countries, this is a moment to fully demonstrate and showcase political imagination and decisiveness.

People have noticed that shortly after his election victory, Trump said that China and the US could work together to solve all of the problems of the world. He also expressed a willingness to visit China early in his second term. 

We appreciate that the president-elect views China-US relations from a global perspective and treats China's development in a pragmatic manner based on public opinion on certain issues. If both countries focus their policies on managing their own affairs well and enhancing the sense of gain and happiness of their people, they will surely find that cooperation and mutual benefit, rather than wasting resources on unnecessary confrontation and conflict, should be the steadfast direction of China-US relations. The win-win cooperation between China and the US is essential for the respective dreams that both great nations are pursuing; it is a complementary and mutually beneficial relationship.

History has repeatedly shown that China and the US both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. The inseparable economic and trade relations between the two countries, the joint progress in technology, the enthusiastic cultural exchanges, and the potential for cooperation in various fields such as climate change and drug control should rightly be considered as positive factors in the US side's calculation of the "cooperation account." 

It is hoped that the new US administration can learn from the lessons of the trade and technology wars with China, move beyond the mind-set of viewing China as a formidable enemy in its China policy, adhere to international legal norms and principles of free trade, and respect the mutually beneficial division of labor that has developed within the global industrial and supply chains. This approach would be the best choice for both countries. 

China welcomes a confident, open, and prosperous US, and the US should also welcome a peaceful, stable, and industrious China. Only in this way can China and the US build trust in this new chapter of history.

As two major countries with different national conditions, it is inevitable that there will be some differences between China and the US. The key is to respect each other's core interests and major concerns, find proper ways to resolve issues, and adhere to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. President Xi reiterated the Taiwan question during the call. This is a red line that China cannot allow to be challenged. He also emphasized that the bilateral economic ties are essentially mutually beneficial and win-win. These points serve as a necessary and timely reminder for the new US administration in formulating its policy toward China. 

President Xi Jinping's special representative, Vice President Han Zheng, will attend the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump on January 20, at US invitation. Now, before the new term of the US president, there has already been a round of positive exchanges between China and the US. We look forward to greater progress at this new starting point under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, achieving mutual success, common prosperity, benefiting both countries, and contributing to the world.