On the evening of December 13, local time, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held a commemorative event to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of China-US "ping pong diplomacy". Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng attended and delivered speeches, and more than 300 guests from all walks of life in the United States attended the ceremony, including Fang Fang, Vice President of Peking University, Qiao Roslan, Director of the International Department of the United States Olympic Committee, Bai Lijuan, Vice President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Charle, President of the United States Table Tennis Association, and more than 300 guests from all walks of life in the United States.
In his speech, Xie Feng stressed that China-US relations are at a new crossroads. The times call on us to draw wisdom and strength from "ping-pong diplomacy" to stabilize and improve China-US relations, achieve healthy, stable and sustainable development, and reassure the people of the two countries and the world. It is necessary to realize the "re-melting of the ice" in the relations between the two countries. We hope that the US will work with China to establish a correct understanding, start from little by little, start from today, practice mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and suppress the negative narrative of zero-sum games with successful stories of mutually beneficial cooperation. It is necessary to promote "re-contact" between the peoples of the two countries. The coronavirus has hindered face-to-face communication, and trade wars and technology wars have only led to confrontation and conflict. Only through engagement and dialogue can we avoid miscalculations, gradually get out of the predicament, and rebuild mutual trust. We need to support the people of the two countries to move around, have more exchanges, and hold hands more. It is necessary to promote the "restart" of Sino-US relations. The San Francisco meeting is not the end, but a new beginning. It is imperative to do a good job in follow-up work, strengthen the management of the whole process, and in particular, implement the consensus reached at the summit between the two heads of state to the letter, so that the "San Francisco Vision" can be reflected in reality and benefit the two countries and the world. It is hoped that the US side and China will work in the same direction and take action, especially to prevent recurrence, not to take another half step back, or even to take another step back, and not to erect new obstacles to bilateral relations.
It is worth noting that in recent days, high-level officials from China and the United States have exchanged and expressed their views on China-US relations quite frequently, and although US officials still talk about the so-called "national security", they are also soberly aware that China and the United States should and must cooperate on issues related to economic and global governance.
U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said at an event at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, on Friday (December 15) that he was "not optimistic" but "hopeful" about the direction of the U.S.-China relationship.
Burns first pointed out that the U.S.-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship today and in the coming decades, but the relationship between the two countries is still dominated by competition. Technology has become central to the U.S.-China rivalry, Burns said, "and we don't want to be second in the tech wars of the future." ”
Speaking at Friday's event, Burns also noted that the United States and China must cooperate while competing "because our interests sometimes coincide." The U.S.-China relationship is complex, and the U.S. will spend the next few months watching to see if the outcomes of the U.S.-China leaders' meeting can materialize, including cooperation in countering fentanyl trafficking, resuming military-to-military dialogue, and beginning communication on artificial intelligence, Burns said. Burns said that there is still room for cooperation between the two countries in global public health and food safety, and restoring and promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries will also be one of the priorities of the Biden administration.
Burns expressed hope that both sides would implement the agreement. He mentioned that he and Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, had met a total of 24 times, "We are colleagues. I know him well. I respect him. Last night we sat down and talked at the 50th anniversary celebration dinner of the U.S.-China Business Council. We are hopeful that the parties will implement the agreement reached by the leaders of the two countries. ”
Burns said the U.S.-China Business Council's (USCBC) 50th anniversary celebration dinner was held in Washington on December 14. Guests in attendance included U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng, U.S. Ambassador to China Burns, USCBC President Allen, USCBC Chairman Ge Shiber, and about 500 business representatives from Apple, Nike and other U.S. companies.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen delivered the finale speech, in which she reiterated that the U.S. does not seek to "decouple" from China, which is harmful to both economies and has a negative impact on the world.
Yellen stressed that the United States will pursue a mutually beneficial and healthy economic relationship with China and seek cooperation with China in addressing global challenges. However, she reiterated that because U.S. national security is the first priority, the U.S. will use economic tools to protect national security interests and protect human rights when needed.
Yellen noted that since the establishment of the Economic Working Group and the Financial Working Group between China and the United States in September this year, the two working groups have met twice. Before the meeting between the leaders of China and the United States about a month ago, she welcomed Vice Premier He Lifeng, vice premier of the State Council and Chinese leader of China-US economic and trade relations, in San Francisco. In 2024, the two working groups will continue to meet regularly.
She also said that she plans to make her second trip to China as U.S. Treasury Secretary in 2024, following her visit in July, and that a large part of her agenda will be to discuss "difficult areas of concern" in the bilateral economic relationship.
When asked by the Chinese media, the United States has entered the presidential election cycle. Looking ahead to 2024, will the U.S. election add more complexity to the U.S. government's handling of the U.S.-China economic relationship as the U.S.-China seeks to stabilize the relationship?
Yellen replied, "I'm not sure. We certainly want a stable, independent economic relationship outside of the elections, but we need to keep watching. ”
耶伦还说，她期待自己第二次访华之行，不过具体行程“仍在敲定之中”（still being determined）。
Source丨Comprehensive