By Yang Jiechi
Special to The Times
Chinese President Xi Jinping will soon pay a state visit to the United States at President Obama's invitation. This will be a historic event in China-U.S. relations. [Special coverage]
The two presidents will discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of interest. President Xi will meet with congressional and local leaders as well as people from a cross-section of the American society. His visit will deepen people-to-people friendship, expand cooperation and provide new impetus to the new model of major country relationship between China and the U.S.
The China-U.S. relationship is of vital importance. It has come a long way since diplomatic ties were established 36 years ago. The relationship has gone beyond the bilateral scope and taken on growing global significance. The two countries now have close communication and coordination in extensive areas, from tackling global challenges to bolstering global growth; from tripartite cooperation in Afghanistan and Timor-Leste to handling regional and international hot-spot issues like Iran and South Sudan, making important contributions to world peace and common development.
Admittedly, China and the U.S. also have different views on some issues and there are sensitive issues in our bilateral relations. However, they are outweighed by our common interests and the potential of cooperation. Dialogue and cooperation is the prevailing trend.
There are broad areas where we should and can work with each other. Closer China-U.S. cooperation would deliver great benefits to people in both countries and beyond. This is our historical mission and what the international community expects of us.
Healthy growth of China-U.S. relations requires joint efforts of the two governments and societies. The involvement and support at the subnational level and from the business, academic, cultural and educational communities as well as the wider public are indispensable.
Subnational cooperation is a driver of China-U.S. relations. We have 43 pairs of sister provinces and states and 200 pairs of sister cities, with multiple platforms and extensive networks for close interactions. Washington state and Seattle are at the forefront of such cooperation.
Business cooperation is the bedrock of China-U.S. relations. In 2014, two-way trade exceeded $550 billion and mutual investment topped $120 billion. By June 2015, Chinese companies had directly invested $77.5 billion in 1,501 nonfinancial projects in the U.S. Estimates show that by 2020, Chinese investment in the U.S. will reach $100 billion to $200 billion, adding up to 400,000 local jobs. As China upgrades its economy and the U.S. boosts economic recovery, the future of our business cooperation is ever more bright.
People-to-people exchange is a propeller of China-U.S. relations. There is a flight between our two countries every 17 minutes. Some 4.3 million people traveled across the Pacific last year. Educational exchange is also thriving. By 2014, 490,000 young Chinese had studied in the U.S., and more than 100,000 young Americans in China. Seventy-five Chinese universities hosted 12,000 American scholars. More than 30 percent of the international students in Washington state are Chinese. The vaccine jointly developed by Chinese and American experts made a big difference in the battle against Ebola.
Both the Chinese and the Americans believe that actions speak louder than words. With joint actions, we will write a new chapter in China-U.S. friendship and cooperation.
Yang Jiechi is a state councilor of the People's Republic of China and a former ambassador of China to the United States.
