“The mansion of China-US relations has been built by generations of people brick by brick. We need to bolster it, not dismantle it.”
Those were the words of Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the United States, at a National Day reception at the Chinese embassy on Monday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink and National Security Council Senior Director Sarah Beran attended, as did more than 700 Chinese and American guests.
Xie said that over the past 75 years under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have created “a miracle” that has amazed the world and embarked on an epic journey toward modernization.
“Today, we are advancing confidently toward building China into a modern socialist country on all fronts,” he said.
Xie underscored that in a turbulent world, a China committed to open development will continue to be a major engine for global economic growth; a China committed to innovation-driven development will continue to be a boost to global technological advances; a China committed to green development will continue to be a doer in global climate governance; a China committed to peaceful development will continue to be an anchor of stability in a volatile world.
Xie said that in this 45th anniversary year of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations, the relationship is at a new starting point, and “the key is that we should follow the trend of the times, draw inspirations and lessons from the past, and advance China-US relations along the right track”.
Xie said that President Xi Jinping has laid out three principles for the relationship: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.
“Mutual respect means we need to be partners, not rivals. Peaceful coexistence means we need to hold on to the baselines and avoid backpedaling. Win-win cooperation means we need to seek mutual benefit and reject a zero-sum game,” Xie said.
“Forty-five years ago, our two peoples reached out to each other, thus breaking the ice of the Cold War and enabling China-US relations to set sail. Today, we have even more reason to take action to ensure the relationship will break waves and navigate steadily forward,” Xie said at the close of his remarks.
He then proposed a toast to “the continued prosperity of the People’s Republic of China” … the evergreen friendship between the peoples of China and the United States … the stable development of China-US relations (and) the health and happiness of all friends here and your loved ones”.
In an interview with the media at the event, Xie said that while the global landscape remains uncertain, with ongoing geopolitical conflicts, a sluggish economic recovery, rising protectionism, and the lingering shadow of the Cold War, the Chinese people, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, are facing the challenges head-on.
“We are diligently fulfilling our responsibilities and contributing to global stability through China’s own stability,” he said. “Through high-level opening up and high-quality development, we are striving to contribute to the recovery of the world economy. By pursuing Chinese-style modernization, we aim to provide inspiration and new options for the modernization of other countries.”
Xie said that in stark contrast, “some countries”, instead of earnestly addressing their own internal issues, resort to blame-shifting and spreading rumors and slander, labeling China as a threat.
“However, people around the world are increasingly recognizing that China is, in fact, a rare force for peace, development, cooperation, openness and progress in the world,” he said.
Xie said that since late September, the Chinese government has introduced measures to revitalize the economy, with remarkable results.
China’s stock markets have surged, investors are queuing up to open accounts, and foreign capital is pouring in.
“The Chinese people are filled with hope for the future of China’s development,” he said.
“Recently, those who predicted China’s collapse have themselves been experiencing setbacks, and those who claimed that the Chinese economy had peaked are now facing their own plateau,” Xie said.
One of the guests, Ralph Winnie Jr, director of the Eurasia Center’s China Program, told China Daily that people-to-people exchanges are important to establish mutual respect and trust.
“When you’re developing the personal relationship, (it) will lead to the professional and the business relationship, which takes time and understanding,” he said.
At the reception, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performed famous Chinese and international pieces such as My Motherland and I and Nessun Dorma, eliciting applause.
yifanxu@chinadailyusa.com