US matching deeds with words key to preventing a collision: China Daily editorial

Arguably the most important event in international relations in the coming 50 years will be for China and the United States to find a way to get along.

It is something they have been finding increasingly hard to do, as the US has displayed growing angst at China's journey to national rejuvenation.

This has led to a seemingly interminable spiral of frictions producing mutual mistrust that in turn causes more frictions that create more mistrust.

The two sides need to have open and candid dialogues to enhance understanding of each other's intentions. Hopefully, the virtual meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden on Tuesday has served that purpose. Whether it has or not will depend on to what extent the US matches its deeds with words. The US leader assured Xi that the US is not seeking to change China's political system, is not targeting China by revitalizing its alliances, nor is it seeking conflict with China or supporting "Taiwan independence".

Yet it is worth noting that an important reason why the US leader still needs to reaffirm what should be the basic norms of Sino-US relations nearly 10 months after he took office is because what his administration has done over that period of time has often been at odds with those words.

That's why President Xi, after acknowledging the importance of the ties, proposed three principles — mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation — for handling Sino-US relations, and four priorities — promoting international cooperation, strengthening exchanges at all levels, constructively managing divergences and sensitive issues, and strengthening coordination and collaboration on international issues. These, if faithfully implemented, will not only effectively prevent the competition between China and the US from getting out of hand, but also deliver common good to the world.

Tuesday's exchange of views should also serve to deepen the Biden administration's understanding of China's strategic intentions behind its resolve to seek national rejuvenation, of which the reunification of Taiwan with the motherland is an integral part. China's rapid development is driven by the Chinese people's pursuit of better lives. China does not seek to challenge the US' position in the world, nor the international order it has engineered.

That their talk, which both agreed was candid, constructive, practical and productive, lasted for three and a half hours, longer than scheduled, shows the two sides share common interests and broad space for cooperation.

And as President Xi reiterated, China is always ready to join hands with the US, and any other country, to work for the common good of the world and humanity. It is to be hoped that the meeting can deepen the two sides' mutual understanding and strengthen their mutual trust so that they can meet the expectations the world puts on them, not to force countries to make an either-or choice.

History is a fair judge. It is also to be hoped that its final verdict will record that the US demonstrated the necessary reason to match its deeds with its words.