Photo:VCG

On September 24th local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a keynote speech at a dinner co-hosted by the National Committee on US-China Relations, US-China Business Council, US Chamber of Commerce and Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Wang Yi said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as the 40th anniversary of China-US diplomatic relations. Over the past four decades, China-US relations have weathered many twists and turns. Yet it has steadily moved forward with progress beyond even the boldest imagination. China-US relations have once again come to a crossroads. This giant ship of China-US relations is faced with two very different routes. One features calm seas and broad prospects, and the other is churning waters and raging waves. It begs the question where the China-US relations will go in the next 40 years. Are we going to move ahead with the right route, or veer onto the wrong one with endless troubles waiting ahead? When we assess and decide on such a momentous issue, we must turn to history, and look at the past four decades of China-US relations for inspiration and guidance. 

First, mutually beneficial cooperation is the only right option for China and the United States, and neither country has taken advantage of the other. Second, opening up and integration represents the right direction, and neither China nor the United States can move ahead without the other. Third, conflict and confrontation will lead nowhere, and neither country can mold the other in one's own image. Fourth, shouldering responsibilities together accords with the trend of history, and neither of our two countries can replace the other.