Chinese ambassador notes opening-up and reform's parallel to formal relations with US

The steady growth of China-US relations is indispensable to the success of the two countries and the world, as air and water are to life, China's ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai wrote in an op-ed piece published in USA Today on Tuesday.

It would be irresponsible and detrimental for the two countries to 'decouple' or become isolated from each other, Cui wrote in the New Year's Day edition, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between China and the US.

With China-US relations at an historical crossroads, the future of the relationship should continue to be defined by the two peoples who are both hoping to continue benefitting from the ties, the ambassador said.

Shared interests will rise above "political correctness" and the "differences" between our two countries, Cui said.

"Forty years ago, the China-US diplomatic relationship, along with China's reform and opening-up, almost started in the same period," wrote the ambassador.

He said that the reform and opening-up provided the impetus and vitality for diplomatic relations, which in turn fostered important external conditions for even further reform and opening-up.

"These two historical processes have brought enormous benefit to the people of our two countries and of the world," Cui said, adding that trade and tourism exchange between the two countries have been flourishing over the past four decades.

Cui said the bilateral relationship also created favorable conditions for world peace and development, including fighting terrorism, addressing the global financial crisis, countering narcotics, coordinating efforts on regional hotspot issues and addressing global challenges.

The ambassador said as both countries are experiencing unprecedented changes since the establishment of relations 40 years ago, some disagreements are inevitable.

However, they are still manageable because the relationship's basic elements remain unchanged, which include the shared interests of the two peoples for a better life and the need for combined efforts to address major global challenges.

"Meanwhile, the political foundation of our relationship must remain unchanged," said Cui, adding that the two sides need to respect each other's core interests and major concerns and remain firmly committed to the "one China" principle.

In this new international context, the China-US relationship has once again come to a crossroads in history, Cui said.

"Our relations should continue to be defined by our two peoples, who are looking to us with high expectations as we look forward to the next 40 years," he wrote. "Their aspirations are to benefit more from our relations." The ambassador said the two countries benefit the most from cooperation. Therefore, the two sides should avoid the entrapments of rivalry. And with the guidance of the two presidents, the two countries can "seize the hour, seize the day, advancing China-US relations centered on coordination, cooperation and stability".

The two presidents just held a telephone conversation on Saturday, expressing their willingness to push for implementation of their agreements reached during the G20 summit in Argentina.

"We must strengthen communication and mutual trust, focus on cooperation, carefully mediate our differences, and address economic and trade frictions through negotiations," he added.

Cui said the relationship is like a tower built on the solid foundation of common interests, and it has remained as strong as ever, weathering every storm over the past 40 years.

"Damaging or dismantling China-US relations will only cause mutual suffering," Cui said. "Thus, it is our common historical responsibility to pass a steady China-US relationship full of opportunities on to our future generations."

Contact the writer at ruinanzhang@chinadailyusa.com