Overcoming differences in China-US dialogue

Acknowledging differences candidly in a high-level dialogue here Wednesday, China and the United States have displayed the commitment to crack some hard nuts in their complex relations that bear global significance.

The sixth round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the fifth round of High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) have been in the global spotlight, as the world's economic heavyweights held extensive discussions.

COOPERATION NECESSARY, CONFRONTATION DISASTROUS

Enhancing cooperation and avoiding confrontation was reaffirmed during the dialogue.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping said history showed that cooperation between China and the US led to win-win results while confrontation hurt both sides.

After 35 years, Sino-US ties have developed and the two countries' interests deeply intertwined, Xi said. Cooperation has not only benefited both populations, but promoted peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

An agreement to build a new model of Sino-US relationship, with aims to break the cycle of conflicts, is unprecedented and has significant implications for the future. But there are no ready-made solutions.

Xi proposed that both sides respect each other; stick to dialogue, consultation and other constructive ways to expand understanding; deepen cooperation based on equality and mutual trust; and accumulate shared interests to defuse differences.

The call was echoed by the US when President Barack Obama labeled the new model a "shared goal" of practical cooperation and constructive management of differences.

"We should use the S&ED to demonstrate to the world that even the relationship is complex as ours, we remain determined to ensure that cooperation defines our overall relations," Obama said in a statement.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who co-chaired the dialogue, said the US and China have stakes in each other's success and that his country welcomes the emergence of a peaceful, stable and prosperous China.

COMMON INTERESTS, PRACTICAL MEASURES

This year marks the 35th anniversary of formal China-US ties, with trade between the two at 520 billion US dollars last year, 200 times that of 1979.

Stressing that common interests far outweigh differences, Xi put forward proposals on accelerated negotiations on the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), strengthening military dialogue, fighting terror, climate change and coordination on international and regional issues.

Climate cooperation is a good example of practical cooperation on common interests. Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of China's National Development and Reform Commission, said both sides strengthened dialogue and exchanged ideas on climate change during Wednesday's session.

Progress in climate cooperation in the past year includes defining major areas of cooperation and clarifying over 30 projects for the next three years.

Companies and research institutes from both sides signed eight partnership agreements on Tuesday covering areas from carbon capture to low-carbon cities.

The negotiations on BIT and China's structural reform were discussed.Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, co-hosting the economic dialogue with US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, said "economic partnership makes our cooperation more formidable, though bargaining and differences play a part in this process."

Lew said President Obama and President Xi had made it clear that a strong US-China economic relationship is their priority.

Wang also announced that the first round of negotiations on the BIT will be concluded shortly and enter the next phase on a negative list.

"The BIT creates jobs, opportunities and mutual interests on both sides. It helps stabilize the relationships and give you confidence the relationship will be handled carefully into the future," Kenneth Lieberthal, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute's John L. Thornton China Center, told Xinhua.