Head-of-state diplomacy provides strategic guidance for stable Sino-US ties: China Daily editorial

President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a state visit to the United States at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. The visit comes about four months after Trump's state visit to China in May. The reciprocal visits by the two heads of state are of major significance for the stable development of China-US relations.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were warmly greeted by Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, at Joint Base Andrews in a rare planeside welcome. The grand reception highlighted the importance the US side attaches to the visit.

In his written speech upon arrival, Xi underscored the two countries' long-time friendly exchanges and deeply intertwined interests and expressed the hope that the two countries will be partners, not rivals.

Xi pointed out that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, and that the two countries can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world.

Noting that he and Trump agreed on a vision of a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability in May, which has provided strategic guidance for the future development of bilateral ties, Xi stressed that China and the US should work in the same direction, promote a stable relationship featuring cooperation as the mainstay, moderate competition, manageable differences and promises of peace.

Xi's visit will help the two sides strengthen strategic communication and translate the important vision into concrete actions in different fields.

Economic and trade cooperation provides a strong foundation for such efforts. More than 7,000 Chinese enterprises operate in the US, while over 84,000 US enterprises operate in China. Two-way trade and investment support large numbers of jobs in both countries.

A US-China Business Council survey found that 95 percent of US respondents considered their China operations as being "somewhat to very important" for their global competitiveness.

The interests of the two economies are deeply intertwined. Turning trade and economic relations into unilateral instruments does not make either side safer or stronger. It risks disrupting supply chains, distorting markets and raising costs for businesses and consumers.

The multiple rounds of China-US economic and trade consultations — the latest of which began in New York on Sunday — have demonstrated that differences can be managed through dialogue based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Such mechanisms not only help stabilize bilateral economic relations, but also provide greater certainty for the markets and the global economy.

The in-depth exchanges between Xi and Trump on major issues concerning bilateral relations and the world situation will be conducive to deepening mutual understanding and expanding the space for engagement in various fields between the two countries.

Stability does not mean the absence of competition. The key is to prevent competition from turning into confrontation. That means respecting each other's core interests and major concerns.

In this regard, the US side must handle the Taiwan question, the most important and sensitive issue in Sino-US ties, with extra prudence and caution. Adhering to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, as well as honoring the commitments made by previous US administrations on the Taiwan question, are international obligations that the US must fulfill and a necessary prerequisite for the sustainable development of China-US relations and safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

The development of Sino-US relations since 1979 clearly shows that a stable relationship between the two countries serves their common interest and that of the world.

As Xi remarked, the world is developing and times are changing, but the historical logic of peaceful coexistence between China and the US has not changed, the goodwill of friendly exchanges between the two peoples has not changed, and the general expectations of the international community for China and the US have not changed. Against this backdrop, China and the US have a shared responsibility to find the right way to get along.

That is in the fundamental interests of both peoples. It is also what the international community expects from the world's two largest economies.