China-U.S. relations have been making steady progress amid twists and turns since the start of 1979 when the two nations officially established diplomatic ties, thanks to concerted efforts by both sides.
The ever-improving relations between China and the United States have not only brought huge benefits to the two peoples but also made important contributions to world peace and development.
Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping paid his historic visit to the U.S. less than a month after the formal establishment of relations between the two countries.
China and the U.S., since then, have maintained frequent high-level exchanges of visits and have actively conducted exchanges at various levels.
The two nations have signed a series of important documents and gradually established more than 60 dialogue and consultation mechanisms including China-U.S. strategic dialogue mechanism and strategic economic dialogue mechanism.
With political and economic interaction expanding and mutual understanding deepening over the past three decades, the two nations have reached consensus on an increasing number of issues and have seen more extensive cooperation.
The two countries have made substantial progress in developing a multi-faceted and multi-level constructive partnership.
The development of China-U.S. relations serves the fundamental interests of the two countries as well as the two peoples.
China embarked on its historic journey of reform and opening-up almost at the same time as it established diplomatic ties with the U.S.
The country's reform and opening-up drive has brought prosperity and cooperation opportunities for countries worldwide, including the United States. The China-U.S. cooperation has also injected fresh impetus into China's development and modernization.
The volume of bilateral trade between China and the U.S. rose from 990 million U.S. dollars in 1978 to 302 billion U.S. dollars in 2007. The two countries have now become each other's second largest trading partner.
The accumulated American investment in China has so far totaled almost 60 billion U.S. dollars. There now are 17,000 U.S.-funded enterprises operating in China, with annual sales revenues up to more than 100 billion U.S. dollars.
However, the development of China-U.S. relations has not been smooth, and the progress achieved has not been easy to come by. The two countries should really cherish the current development result of their ties.
Past experiences showed that the three Joint Communiques issued by the two sides laid political basis for bilateral ties, and only the two sides adhere to these principles, seek common ground while reserving differences, and enhance consensus, will the bilateral ties break through difficulties and develop healthily.
When China and the United States established diplomatic ties, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said "mutual respect" is the most important factor in safeguarding and developing U.S. ties with China.
History has proved that the development of China-U.S. relations depends on whether to respect the other side's core interests, whether to respect different social systems, development process, histories and cultures.
Equal dialogue and communication on the basis of mutual respect is the right way to remove misunderstandings and improve mutual trust.
Adhering to the direction of developing a constructive cooperative relationship, the two countries can march to the road of harmony and mutual development.
China-U.S. ties have played an increasingly important role in the whole world. Today, the largest developing country and the largest developed country share larger common interests than ever before.
The two jointly shoulder the responsibility in the fields of safeguarding world peace and stability, promoting freedom of trade and investment, and facing challenges like the changing climate and energy issues.
At present, the world is confronted with a serious financial crisis and weak prospects for global economic growth. China and the U.S., two economic entities that make the biggest contribution to the world economic growth, cannot escape the hit.
Against such a backdrop, the two sides should promote their bilateral ties onto a new level, further strengthen high-level exchanges, step up cooperation in various fields, and enhance coordination in macro-economic and financial policies. Such efforts will not only help the two countries tackle the crisis together, but will also serve to maintain global financial stability and stimulate world economic growth.
As China and the U.S. mark the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties whilst U.S. president-elect Barak Obama is ready to take office, the China-U.S. ties are at a significant historical point. Under the joint efforts of both sides, the China-U.S. ties can be expected to enjoy remarkable development and head for a bright future.
(Xinhua News Agency January 1, 2009)
