'Any decoupling would be disastrous,' Chinese ambassador to US warns

China and the United States should build on the achievements made since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979 and continue to broaden cooperation, Beijing's top envoy to Washington said on Wednesday.

To build a China-US relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability, as agreed by their top leaders in Argentina in December, the two countries should ramp up mutual understanding to avoid strategic miscalculations, stay open to each other rather than decouple and step up people-to-people exchanges, said Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the US.

Speaking at a reception at the embassy marking the 40th anniversary of China-US diplomatic relations and the Chinese New Year, Cui said the world is undergoing profound changes, with new global challenges continuing to arise.

"More than ever before, the world needs China and the US to work together. Our people need us to work together," he said. "As our common interests grow, we should continue to expand and deepen our cooperation on the basis of the achievements of the last four decades."

He said the past 40 years of China-US relations have helped advance the development of the two countries, which have interacted on such an extensive scale and influenced each other in so many ways that each is stronger and better for it.

Such relations have delivered "enormous benefits" to the people in both countries, Cui said, listing a series of figures to illustrate his point.

For example, he said, daily bilateral trade is worth more than $1.5 billion, and more than 14,000 people fly between the two countries every day for work, study or leisure. In addition, there are 227 pairs of sister cities in the two countries, and 50 pairs of US states and Chinese provinces.

"People in China have always had a strong interest in learning more about America and from America," Cui said, adding that a great need exists to promote mutual understanding to enhance mutual trust and avoid strategic miscalculations.

Learning more about China's history-the hardships suffered by its people and the strenuous effort required to get where they are-would help people understand the country's goals and intentions and what the Chinese Dream means, Cui said. "Then it would not be difficult to understand that the Chinese people have every right to pursue a better life, but they will never do it at the expense of other nations."

He added that the world's two largest economies need to stay open to each other and get more connected, as each has its own strengths that complement the other.

"There may always be differences between us, but they should be addressed on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit," he said. "Any so-called decoupling would be disastrous for both economies and the world economy at large."

The China-US friendship, which is deeply rooted in people, has helped overcome various twists and turns in relations over the past four decades, Cui said, adding that the two governments should make greater efforts to encourage stronger ties between students, teachers, scientists, artists, athletes and others.

Carlos Gutierrez, former US secretary of commerce, said of decoupling: "It's almost impossible. We are so integrated that to think of a world where China is on its own and the US is on its own, I can't conceive that."

Gutierrez noted that trade disputes are bad for both sides. "So I would hope that we have reached the limit in terms of escalation, and that we can continue the dialogue to reach an agreement."

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier on Wednesday that he and other US officials will travel to Beijing next week for trade talks, following up on discussions last month in Washington.

Carol Miller, who was elected to the US House of Representatives in January by her district in West Virginia, said at the Chinese embassy reception, "I'm very hopeful that our great countries will come together and work things out. I think we have much to gain being friends and having good relationships."