Recent dialogue 'gives the world the optimism it badly needs': ambassador

The two largest economies in the world must work together to build a strong and stable relationship, because there is no alternative, the Chinese ambassador to the United States said on Tuesday.

"The fact that the two largest economies in the world have chosen to engage in constructive dialogue for mutual benefit gives the world the optimism it badly needs," Ambassador Cui Tiankai said. "Amid considerable uncertainties in the global economy, such reassurances help boost business confidence more than any specific deals."

Cui spoke at the annual conference of the Institute for China-America Studies (ICAS) in Washington. ICAS is an independent, nonprofit think tank funded by the Hainan Nanhai Research Foundation in China.

Cui said that since US President Donald Trump took office, China-US relations have made important and positive progress, thanks to the concerted efforts of both sides.

"Our two presidents have set a constructive tone and pointed the way forward for China-US relations with their successful meetings in Mar-a-Lago in April and in Hamburg during the G20 summit earlier this month," Cui said.

Among the most important outcomes of the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, was the two sides' establishment of four high-level dialogue mechanisms, covering diplomatic and security issues, economic relations, people-to-people exchanges, and law enforcement and cyber security.

The new dialogue is aimed at strengthening high-level communication, enhancing mutual understanding and trust and promoting win-win cooperation between China and the US.

The first round of the Diplomatic and Security Dialogue was held last month, and the first Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) last week.

Both were very successful, Cui said.

"At the CED, the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on a broad spectrum of topics, including macroeconomic policy; the 100-Day Action Plan and a one-year plan; global economy and governance; trade and investment; services; agricultural cooperation and high-technology trade," Cui said.

Cui said that two sides' historic mission is not the transfer of global dominance from one power to another by war or by less confrontational means.

"Rather, our mission is to establish a new model of international relations that are based on common interests and a shared future," he said.

Cui also noted differences in how China and the US seek to solve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. He said the "dual-track" approach and the "suspension-for-suspension" proposal put forward by the Chinese side shows a realistic way out of the current impasse.

He stressed China's opposition to the US deployment of the anti-missile system Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in the Republic of Korea and to secondary sanctions on Chinese businesses and citizens, based on USc laws.

The conference, titled Prospects and Challenges for US-China Relations, convened four panels of about 20 experts on China-US relations from China and North America.

leshuodong@chinadailyusa.com