Constructive ties require concrete actions: China Daily editorial

The head-of-state diplomacy between China and the United States during US President Donald Trump's visit to China in May has produced a series of common understandings, including a new vision for building a constructive bilateral relationship of strategic stability. This vision provided guidance and set the direction for the development of China-US ties over the next three years and beyond.

The "constructive strategic stability" refers to a positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, a sound stability with moderate competition, a constant stability with manageable differences, and an enduring stability with promises of peace.

Yet some recent US actions have not aligned with the outcomes of Trump's visit. Early last month, the Pentagon added multiple Chinese companies to a list of entities it baselessly claims have aided the Chinese military. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate panel that a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan remains under review, adding that Washington's policy toward the island remains unchanged.

Building a constructive bilateral relationship of strategic stability is not just a slogan; it requires action, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a telephone conversation with Rubio on Tuesday.

Wang called for both sides to move in the same direction and make consistent efforts to remove disruptions, overcome obstacles and stay firmly on the right course to translate the important consensus reached by the two heads of state into specific policies and practical measures.

To this end, he said that both sides should expand the list of cooperation and create more positive agendas, while at the same time narrowing the list of problems and managing various risks and hidden dangers. The most prominent of these is the Taiwan question. Wang explicitly urged the US side to handle Taiwan-related issues with extra prudence, saying "a slight move ‌on the Taiwan question could affect the whole situation".

This is because the Taiwan question is at the very center of China's core interests. The US must be aware of this, honor its commitments and make the right choices. It should abide by the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, while reining in various confrontational moves aimed at leveraging the Taiwan question to pressure Beijing.

Both sides agreed that the phone conversation was positive and constructive, and agreed to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and to continue to maintain communication in a flexible manner.

If the US genuinely wishes to build a constructive relationship with China, it needs to match its words with deeds. Discussing cooperation while simultaneously engaging in confrontation or constantly testing the limits on issues involving China's core interests will lead bilateral ties nowhere.

It is good to hear that following recent economic and trade consultations, the two sides have set guiding targets for expanding two-way agricultural trade and agreed in principle to include relevant agricultural products in arrangements under a reciprocal tariff-reduction framework. As a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday, China is ready to work with the US to create favorable conditions for two-way agricultural trade.

To turn the vision of a constructive relationship of strategic stability into reality, the two sides should remain committed to coordination and cooperation. They need to always uphold the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, ensuring that institutional communication channels are leveraged in time to prevent unexpected incidents from having negative effects on bilateral relations.