Xi tells Schumer: How China, U.S. get along will determine future of humanity

In this world of change and chaos, how China and the U.S. get along will determine the future of humanity, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday told a U.S. congressional delegation led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in Beijing.

The China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, Xi said, stressing that competition and confrontation is not consistent with the trend of the times, still less can they fix one’s own problems and address the challenges facing the world.

China maintains that the common interests of the two countries far outweigh their differences, and the respective success of China and the U.S. is an opportunity, rather than a challenge, to each other, he noted.

Given the high degree of integration between the Chinese and U.S. economies and their closely entwined interests, both countries stand to benefit from each other’s development. And a post-pandemic global recovery, meeting the climate challenge and resolving international and regional hotspot issues all require China-U.S. coordination and cooperation, Xi stressed.

“I often say that we have a thousand reasons to grow the China-U.S. relationship, and none whatsoever to wreck it,” the Chinese president told the delegation.

As two major countries, China and the U.S. should demonstrate the broadmindedness, vision and readiness to rise to the occasion expected by the international community, and work to enhance the well-being of the two peoples and advance human progress, said Xi, who urged both sides to properly handle their relations, respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation.

China welcomes the visits of more U.S. Congress members to gain a better understanding of the country and it is hoped that the two legislatures will have more interactions, dialogues and exchanges to increase mutual understanding and make a positive contribution to the stabilization and improvement of bilateral ties, he added.

The delegation’s trip to China, with Shanghai being the first stop, marks the first U.S. legislative visit to China in four years.

Senator Schumer and other members of the delegation shared their views and suggestions on relevant issues in China-U.S. relations, noting that a stable U.S.-China relationship is of vital importance not only to the two countries, but also to world peace and development.

China’s development and prosperity is good for the American people and the U.S. side does not seek a conflict with China, nor does it seek to decouple, they said.

The U.S. is willing to enhance dialogue and communication with China in an open and candid manner based on mutual respect, responsibly manage the bilateral relationship, and stabilize and strengthen U.S.-China relations, they said, adding the U.S. side also looks forward to strengthening bilateral trade and investment cooperation with China, and increasing communication and cooperation on such issues as climate change, drug trafficking and regional conflicts. (CGTN)