Xinhua Commentary: Finding right course for China-U.S. relations with right strategic perception

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) — U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has wrapped up his visit to Beijing. The meetings he had with China’s top leader and senior diplomatic and military officials showed that the two major countries are making efforts to find a right way to get along with each other.
It was the first visit to China by a national security advisor to the U.S. President in eight years, seen as an important step to implement the common understandings of the two presidents.
An air of engagement and responsible diplomacy was evident this week. Over the course of more than 11 hours of strategic communication, the two sides discussed the management of a number of tough issues. It is unrealistic for the two sides to have identical views, but it’s always good to see them committed to in-depth, candid, substantive and constructive engagement, and willing to handle the relationship in a far-sighted and broad-minded manner.
Keeping the China-U.S. relations in the right direction needs the strategic guidance of the two presidents. As emphasized by President Xi Jinping, when China and the United States, two major countries, engage with each other, the top issue is to develop a correct strategic perception.
A strategic misperception on China by the U.S. side is a key factor that has led to the deterioration of bilateral relations. Meanwhile, China’s stand on its relations with the United States has remained consistent.
As Xi has stated, China’s commitment to the goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship remains unchanged, its principle of handling the relationship based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation remains unchanged, its position of firmly safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests remains unchanged, and its efforts to carry forward the traditional friendship between the Chinese and American people remain unchanged.
The two sides agreed on a number of specific matters including maintaining high-level exchanges and communication at various levels, continuing cooperation in areas such as anti-narcotics initiatives, law enforcement and repatriation of illegal immigrants, and tackling climate change.
The Chinese side also highlighted four red lines at these meetings: Taiwan, democracy and human rights, path and system, and the right to development. China made it clear that “touching these red lines would take away the floor for China-U.S. relations and render the guardrails useless.”
On questions related to economic, trade and technological issues, the South China Sea and Ukraine, the U.S. side is still stuck in its old-fashioned mentality and rhetoric. Also, its misconceptions concerning China and its mentality of seeking absolute security and absolute advantage remain unresolved. It really needs to behave in a manner that is conducive to regional peace and stability, while refraining from smearing, scapegoating or shifting the blame onto China.
The Pacific Ocean is big enough for both China and the United States. China’s foreign policy is transparent and its strategic intentions are aboveboard, as it follows a path of peaceful development. In this changing and turbulent world, the likes of solidarity, coordination, openness and mutual progress can deliver better results than division, confrontation, exclusion and regression.
When both China and the U.S. act responsibly, they truly become a source of stability in the quest for world peace and a propeller driving common development. The talks in Beijing this week were indeed a good move, and the U.S. side needs to make correct decisions and do right things to keep this positive trend going. ■