With extensive achievements and consensus reached Thursday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting U.S. President Donald Trump, China-U.S. relations are "at a new historic starting point," according to experts. [Special coverage]
The two leaders agreed on maintaining the "strategic leading role of head-of-state diplomacy" in developing bilateral relations, and having broad common interests and important responsibility for protecting world peace, stability and prosperity.
They also agreed to continue to have close contact through telephone conversations, letters and meetings, and exchange views on major issues of common concern in a timely manner.
"The significant political achievement of the Xi-Trump summit is that the two sides agreed that a better future would only be achieved through win-win cooperation, setting the tone for the future development of China-U.S. relations," said Cui Liru, former president of the Chinese Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
"The common interests of China and the United States weigh much more than the differences, and the needs for cooperation far exceed those for competition," Cui said.
During Trump's visit, the two countries signed contracts and two-way investment agreements worth more than 250 billion U.S. dollars.
"China is gradually shifting from 'buy from America' to 'invest in America,'which is in line with both nations' interests," said Shou Huisheng with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a major Chinese think tank.
Shou said that though economic frictions existed, the two countries should stay rational to avoid problems and realize that cooperation could be extended globally.
"The fruitful contracts indicate that Sino-U.S. economic and trade relationship is not only the stabilizer for bilateral relations, but also the vital driver for global economy," said Diao Daming, associate professor with Renmin University of China, at a forum hosted by CCG Friday.
According to Jiang Shan from the CCG, the 19th national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded in October signalled that China would speed up reform and opening up, while building a stable and balanced relationship with major powers.
Experts believe that China will offer a more open, transparent and standardized market for foreign-funded enterprises, including U.S. enterprises. In return, the United States should relax restrictions on high-tech products exports to China and treat Chinese investors equally.
"A stable and developing China-U.S. relationship not only benefits both peoples, but also meets the expectations of the international community," said China's Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang.
The two sides agreed to increase trust and defuse doubts on major and sensitive issues, reinforce exchanges and dialogues at various levels between the two militaries, and strengthen cooperation in combating cybercrime and protecting the Internet.
Xi said China and the United States should cooperate actively in the Asia-Pacific region so that more regional countries can work with them to jointly contribute to peace, stability and prosperity.
"This is a new thought for China and the United States to make concerted effort to address regional issues, which is beneficial to regional stability," said Wang Fan, vice president of China Foreign Affairs University.
In the meantime, communication and cooperation in cultural and educational sectors will also be boosted.
On Wednesday afternoon, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan invited Trump and his wife Melania Trump to the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City. They had a taste of Chinese culture over tea, dinner and Peking Opera.
Trump showed Xi and Peng a video of his granddaughter Arabella Kushner singing in Mandarin and reciting ancient Chinese poems.
Some commentators have suggested that Trump showing his granddaughter's love for the Chinese culture indicates that he is enriching his understanding of the Chinese culture.
The two countries agreed to promote exchanges among educational institutions and scholars, and enroll more students from each other. For example, China will provide 10,000 scholarships to students from the United States in four years.
"It shows the attraction of Chinese society and Chinese culture to the United States is increasing," said Xie Tao from the CCG.X In addition, China and the United States will enhance cooperation among art and culture institutions, with dialogue platforms for women from the two nations launched.
"People-to-people interaction will help us know each other well and will be bound to exert a positive influence on China-U.S. relations," said Zhou Qing'an, associate professor with Tsinghua University.
