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Xi: Respect key to China-US ties
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Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday called for China and the United States to consider the larger picture when approaching relations between the two nations, rather than just focusing on their differences.
Xi landed in Seattle late last night for his first state visit to the US.
In a written interview with the Wall Street Journal, Xi said it is natural for China and the US to have some differences, and that even family members don’t always see eye to eye with one other.
“Our two countries should understand and respect each other, expand common ground, properly handle differences, and respect and accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns,” he said.
Xi called for a joint effort to seek a solution on issues that can be resolved and to manage those that can’t be resolved for the time being in a constructive way.
“If two big countries like ours do not cooperate with each other, just imagine what will happen to the world,” Xi said, adding that both history and reality show that China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and can only lose from confrontation.
Xi and US President Barack Obama agreed to jointly build a new model of major-country relationship between China and the United States featuring non-conflict or confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation when they met at the Annenberg Estate, California in the summer of 2013. Since then, the two countries’ exchanges and cooperation across the board have kept deepening and been upgraded.
“We maintain close and effective dialogue and cooperation on almost all major international and regional issues and global challenges,” Xi said.
On the South China Sea issue, Xi said the Nansha Islands have been China’s territory since ancient times, and that China’s development and maintenance of facilities there is to improve the working and living conditions of the Chinese people stationed there and does not impact on or target any other country.
“It should not be over-interpreted,” Xi said, adding that the facilities also provide international public goods and services, and better uphold navigational freedom and safety in the South China Sea.
He also called on the US to enhance cooperation and coordination with China in the Asia Pacific, implementing the principles of mutual respect and win-win cooperation.
“We welcome whatever that contributes to regional peace and stability, and oppose whatever that may lead to conflict and turmoil in the region,” he said.
On cybersecurity. Xi said China is also a victim of hacking, and that China and the United States share common concerns.
“We are ready to strengthen our cooperation with the US on this issue,” he said.
Xi also expressed optimism for his upcoming meeting with Obama to jointly chart the course for growing China-US relations.
“I am sure that this visit will send a positive message to the international community that China and the United States will strengthen cooperation and jointly meet global challenges,” he said.
Xi reiterated that China will never practice expansionism or seek hegemony.
“In strengthening our defense and military building, we are not going after some kind of military adventure. It never crosses our mind,” he said in the interview.
As a big country that has vast territorial land, sea and airspace, and very long borders, China needs to maintain proper investment in defense and keep its troop size at an appropriate level, Xi said.
China has no military bases outside its borders, and earlier this month Xi announced plans to cut the size of the country’s armed forces by 300,000.
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