US-China Relations Updates

On the afternoon of October 25th, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with California Governor Newsom at the Fujian Hall of the Great Hall of the People. The meeting started at 16:00 and lasted for nearly an hour.

California, an important gateway on the West Coast of the United States, has the largest economy among all states in the United States and has long been at the forefront of friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with China. Governor Newsom’s visit to China from October 23rd to 29th is the first visit by a U.S. governor since 2020.

At a critical moment when China-U.S. relations are showing positive momentum of stabilization, President Xi Jinping’s meeting with the Governor of California has attracted great attention from both China and the United States as well as the international community. The three keywords mentioned by President Xi Jinping during the meeting carry profound meanings.

First, “cherish.”

“The development of China-U.S. relations to this day has not come easily and is worthy of greater cherishment,” President Xi Jinping pointed out during the meeting.

Cherishing is important because China-U.S. relations are crucial to both countries and the world. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated, “China-U.S. relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world” and “As two major countries in the world, whether China and the United States can establish the right way of getting along with each other is related to world peace, development, and the future of humanity.” A set of numbers mentioned during this meeting can vividly illustrate this point:

China and the United States are the world’s top two economies, with a combined economic output accounting for over one-third of the world’s total, a population accounting for nearly one-fourth of the world’s total, bilateral trade accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s total, and their interests are deeply intertwined.

California has maintained close economic and trade exchanges with China for a long time. Governor Newsom said during the meeting that there is no other country in the world whose relationship is more important than that between the United States and China, and the China-U.S. relationship is related to the future of the United States and the well-being of its people.

Cherishing the hard-won achievements of China-U.S. relations over the past decades is crucial in finding the right way for the two major countries to avoid falling into the “Thucydides Trap.” President Xi Jinping reiterated the three principles for China to handle its relations with the United States during the meeting, which are to uphold mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. “China will continue to strive in this direction and hopes that the United States will do the same.”

“I agree with President Xi Jinping’s principles for developing China-U.S. relations and am willing to promote stronger exchanges with China by upholding the same spirit. California is willing to be a long-term, stable, and strong partner of China,” Governor Newsom stated, conveying a rational and pragmatic voice in the midst of the “cacophony” of exchanges with China.

Second, “convergence.”

President Xi Jinping pointed out during the meeting that developing China-U.S. relations well requires the convergence of forces from all parties.

The far-reaching consideration of converging forces from all parties and developing China-U.S. relations well is reflected in President Xi Jinping’s recent exchanges with various sectors of the United States:

Since the beginning of this year, President Xi Jinping has met with U.S. visitors to China five times, respectively, extending congratulations to the “Drum Tower Edge” China-U.S. People-to-People Friendship Forum, the National Committee on United States-China Relations Annual Award Dinner, and exchanging letters with the Washington State “U.S.-China Youth Exchange Association” and friendly individuals from all walks of life, the descendants of General Stilwell, the chairman of the China-Burma-India Veterans Association, and the Flying Tigers veterans.

In these diplomatic activities, President Xi Jinping has put forward the ideas of “the foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in the people-to-people level,” “hopes lie in the people,” and “the future lies in the youth.” During the meeting with Governor Newsom, President Xi Jinping once again emphasized the importance of local cooperation between China and the United States, expressing high regard and support for such cooperation.

38 years ago, when Xi Jinping was the Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhengding County Committee in Hebei Province, his first visit to the United States started in San Francisco, California. During the meeting, President Xi Jinping happily recalled his visit to California back then.

Over the past few decades, local cooperation between China and the United States has flourished. Today, California has friendly relations with Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Sichuan provinces; California has established 57 sister city relationships with Chinese counties and cities; California is one of the main gathering places for Chinese in the United States and one of the states with the highest concentration of Chinese students studying in theUnited States.

Governor Newsom expressed his willingness to actively promote sub-national cooperation between California and China, stating that California is ready to increase exchanges and cooperation with Chinese provinces and cities in various fields such as economy, trade, technology, culture, education, and environmental protection.

Third, “coordination.”

During the meeting, President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of coordination between China and the United States in addressing global challenges and promoting world peace and development.

President Xi Jinping mentioned that China and the United States should strengthen coordination on major international and regional issues, jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system, promote the reform of the global economic governance system, and make positive contributions to addressing global challenges such as climate change, public health, and cybersecurity.

Governor Newsom expressed his agreement with President Xi Jinping’s views and emphasized the importance of global cooperation and coordination, especially in tackling climate change. He mentioned California’s efforts in combating climate change and expressed the hope to deepen cooperation with China in this area.

Overall, the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Governor Newsom is significant for several reasons. It highlights the importance of China-U.S. relations and the need to cherish the achievements made so far. It emphasizes the convergence of forces from all parties and the importance of local cooperation between the two countries. And it underscores the importance of coordination in addressing global challenges and promoting world peace and development. The meeting sends a positive signal of willingness to strengthen cooperation and dialogue between China and California, contributing to the overall China-U.S. relationship and international cooperation.