Better trajectory for Sino-US relations requires actions in line with direction indicated by talks

In a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed Beijing’s hope and expectation that China and the United States can find the right way to get along in the new era.

Coming one week after Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Donald Trump shortly before his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, the conversation between Wang and Rubio maintained the practical optimism for bilateral relations expressed by the two leaders.

So far, the Trump administration’s statements regarding relations with China are distinctly different from those of its confrontational predecessor, with Trump saying that he looks forward to maintaining good relations with President Xi and emphasizing that the two countries can work together to solve many problems in the world. Likewise, Rubio said the US hopes to have candid communication with China, resolve differences, manage the bilateral relationship in a mature and prudent manner, and work together to address global challenges and maintain peace and stability in the world.

Wang said that the two heads of state having pointed out the direction and set the tone for China-US relations, it is now incumbent on the two sides to maintain communication, manage their differences and expand cooperation in line with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, with a view to finding he right way for the two countries o get along with each other.

By opening his talks with Rubio with that call, Wang has unmistakably expressed Beijing’s expectation that the new US administration, at the executive level, can work together with its Chinese counterpart to faithfully transform the consensus reached between the two heads of state into concrete actions, projects, programs and initiatives of cooperation, communication and coordination in various fields with a shared sense of responsibility and urgency.

That the talks between Wang and Rubio came three days after the latter hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of Japan, India and Australia in Washington under the Quad framework is probably no coincidence. All three countries taking part in the Quad have markedly accelerated their respective efforts to repair ties with China since Trump won the 2024 US presidential election, and achieved remarkable progress. Their face-to-face talks with the new top US diplomat should have provided the latter with a firsthand knowledge of how unpopular the clique-building attempts of the former US administration were among its allies and, more importantly, Beijing’s openness to work for the common good of the Asia-Pacific and beyond with all like-minded partners.

Both China and the US, two great countries, are pursuing their own dreams and are committed to making the lives of their people better. In the process, as Wang stressed, China has no intention to overtake or replace any country. But it will safeguard its legitimate right to development. Major countries shoulder their due international responsibilities to safeguard world peace and help all countries achieve common development.

As Xi said to Trump in their phone call on Jan 17, China and the US share extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation, and the two countries can become partners and friends, contribute to each other’s success, and enjoy common prosperity, which will benefit both countries and the whole world.

It is inevitable that China and the US, two major countries with different national conditions, should have some differences. But the key to peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation is mutual respect for each other’s core interests and major concerns, and finding appropriate ways to solve issues. [Abridged]

Editorial, China Daily