Photo: IC

The phase one trade deal reached on Friday between China and the US was a breakthrough that points out a feasible but not easy way out for the two countries to settle their disputes and frictions - consultations. 

The hard-won deal shows the two countries are deeply connected rather than opposite each other. Competitors but not enemies to each other, China and the US shouldn't engage in confrontation that would ultimately lead to military conflict. 

In the past 20 months, the US-launched trade war against China has put the entire world on tenterhooks. Many fear the world will be dragged into a new cold war with potential military confrontations. Some even claimed a war was inevitable between China and the US. 

However, as it turns out, China-US relations essentially differ from the Cold War-style ones. The two camps in the Cold War negotiated but in an attempt to keep their balance by overtly or covertly threatening each other. But the trade deal between China and the US is an important move to prevent the two countries from engaging in such a confrontation. 

The deal also warned some US forces to stop trying to make China-US trade frictions into ideological competition. These people would risk anything for the goal, but it won't benefit the US. 

Both countries benefit from cooperation - which is the only correct choice for them - and lose in confrontation. Mutually respecting each other and seeking common points while reserving differences are the right way for Beijing and Washington to get along with each other. 

As Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi said Friday at the opening of Symposium on the International Situation and China's Foreign Relations, "Managing differences and staying focused on cooperation will not only benefit both countries but also be a blessing for the whole world."

US President Donald Trump's administration has also realized this. Trump tweeted on Thursday that the US is "Getting VERY close to a BIG DEAL with China. They want it, and so do we!" US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Friday that China and the US are not in a cold war and there is no need for the two countries "to be an enemy." He noted the US should build more bridges with China "economically, diplomatically, even militarily" to reduce the tensions. 

A phase deal cannot settle all problems but it is an important transition to prevent China-US relations from further deteriorating and to make it possible for the two countries to sit down and continue dialogues. If the two countries continue this way, they will figure out a peaceful way of coexistence and avoid the so-called Thucydides Trap.

We wish China and the US could thus act to advance bilateral economic and trade relations as well as global financial stability, and maintain world peace and prosperity. 

It is unwise to interfere in China's domestic affairs or even try to affect and change China's political system. Washington has attempted to do so and caused tensions with Beijing in the past 20 months as a result. The US should keep in mind that China won't allow anyone to challenge its core interests.