China US Photo:VCG

China is ready to be a partner and a friend of the US. The fundamental principles that China follows in handling China-US relations are mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at a welcome dinner hosted by friendly organizations in San Francisco on Wednesday evening.

The dinner venue was packed with attendees, with the presence of representatives from various sectors, including US top executives such as Tesla's Elon Musk and Apple's Tim Cook. 

The dinner was very animated among the US company executives, a person close to the matter told the Global Times on Wednesday. A Bloomberg report also said that executives were “scrambling” for seats or to be put on a waiting list for the dinner to meet with the Chinese president, citing people familiar with the situation. 

“I have always had one question on my mind: How to steer the giant ship of China-US relations clear of hidden rocks and shoals, navigate it through storms and waves without getting disoriented, losing speed or even having a collision?”Xi told the audience. 

In this respect, the number one question for us is: Are we adversaries or partners? This is the fundamental and overarching issue. The logic is quite simple. If one sees the other side as a primary competitor, the most consequential geopolitical challenge and a pacing threat, it will only lead to misinformed policy making, misguided actions, and unwanted results，Xi said.

China is ready to be a partner and a friend of the US. The fundamental principles that we follow in handling China-US relations are mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, said Xi.

Xi has also reiterated the role of people in bridging China-US ties, noting that the future of China-US relations is created by people, and more bridges should be built for people-to-people interactions.

"The foundation of China-US relations was laid by our peoples, the door of China-US relations was opened by our peoples, the stories of China-US relations are written by our peoples and the future of China-US relations will be created by our peoples," Xi said in his remarks.

"We should build more bridges and pave more roads for people-to-people interactions. We must not erect barriers or create a chilling effect," he said.

“We are in an era of challenges and changes. But it is also an era of hope. The world needs China and the US to work together for a better future. We, the largest developing country and the largest developed country, must handle our relations well. In a world of changes and chaos, it is ever more important for us to have the mind, assume the vision, shoulder the responsibility, and play the role that come along with our status as major countries,” said Xi.

Global Times