China, US should build on what's been achieved so far

The start of a new year always generates fresh hopes and expectations, and this year is no exception. The leaders of China and the United States have fueled the seasonal sense of anticipation by raising hopes that the tensions between the two countries will be eased.

On Tuesday, President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump exchanged congratulatory messages on the 40th anniversary of the forging of diplomatic ties between the two countries, vowing to push for more cooperation and the further progress of bilateral relations.

This came just two days after the two leaders had a telephone conversation in which they expressed their shared willingness for an agreement to be reached in the two sides' trade talks. The working teams of the two countries are actively promoting the implementation of the consensus reached between the two leaders in Argentina last month.