Xi hails Carter's contribution to promoting ties

President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to United States President Joe Biden on Monday over the passing of Jimmy Carter, noting that the former US president was a driving force and decision-maker behind the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries more than 40 years ago.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in his own name, Xi extended profound condolences and expressed sincere sympathies to Carter's family.

Xi said that Carter had long made significant contributions to advancing the development of China-US ties and fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

"I was deeply saddened by his passing," he said.

Noting that the China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world, Xi said China is willing to work together with the US to promote sound, stable and sustainable development of ties by focusing on the fundamental interests of both peoples and aligning with the expectations of the international community.

Carter, the 39th president of the US, the longest-lived president in US history, and the winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, died peacefully on Sunday at the age of 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by family members, according to a statement from the Carter Center.

In late 1978, Carter and then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping reached the historic decision to establish full diplomatic relations between the two nations on Jan 1, 1979, laying the foundation for the rapid growth of bilateral relations.

Sharon Woodcock, the wife of Leonard Woodcock, the first US ambassador to China, said in an email interview with China Daily that Carter would be remembered for the courage, both political and personal, to move forward with the negotiations that led to the normalization of relations between the US and China.

Carter did not visit China during his presidency from 1977 to 1981, but made his first trip to China in 1949 as a young naval officer.

Carter remained a steadfast advocate for bilateral relations even after leaving office. He visited China in 1981, and since then had become a frequent visitor to the country. Carter met with President Xi on a number of occasions.

"I consider the normalization of diplomatic relations with China as an especially historic achievement," Carter said in an interview with the Shanghai Institute of American Studies in 2019, adding that "normalization with China may have been the most beneficial to world peace and understanding".

Reflecting on differences between Beijing and Washington, Carter remarked, "We also believed that the goals that bound us together — mutual respect, the pursuit of peace, prosperity, and progress — were much more important than the differences that divided us."

Chas W. Freeman Jr., US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs from 1993 to 1994, said that he remembered Carter "fondly", and that many people today may look at the Carter era nostalgically. Back then, "our conversations with China were more realistic and honest, and our strategic reasoning was better", Freeman told China Daily.

Diao Daming, a professor of US studies at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies, said, "Although times and history are changing, China and the US should stick to the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations and jointly cope with changes.

"The two countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, and a healthy, stable and sustainable bilateral relationship serves the interests of both nations and beyond-these fundamental facts and principles remain unchanged," he said.

Biden, who described Carter as an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian, has scheduled an official state funeral for Carter in Washington on Jan 9. He also declared that day a national day of mourning across the US to honor the late leader.

According to the Carter Center, there will be public observances in Atlanta and Washington, followed by private interment in Plains.

Contact the writers at zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn