125 quotes found
"President Trump is myopically focused on trade with China, which is only part of the picture. There are many other areas where aides agree we should be holding the Communist government's feet to the fire. Yet the foreign policy team can't really get him to focus on anything but the trade war. Americans should ask: Where is his Chinese human rights policy? Why is he so silent about the most significant pro-democracy demonstrations in the regime in two decades, when folks around him are pushing him to act? Where is his proposal to contest China's influence region by region? Is there any long-term plan? There are government bureaucrats who care about these questions and have their own designs. We've discussed ideas around the table, but it doesn't matter if it isn't part of a bigger plan. The president can say he wants to keep his enemies guessing, but we all know those are the words of a man without a plan."
"China should be our biggest worry. In his first-ever speech on the Senate floor, Mitt Romney compared Beijing to "the cook that kills the frog in a pot of boiling water, smiling and cajoling as it slowly turns up the military and economic heat." Mitt is right. The United States is taking its eye off the ball with China, and our national response has been ad hoc and indecisive under President Trump. We have no serious plan to safeguard our "empire of liberty" against China's rise. There is only the ever-changing negotiating positions of a grifter in chief, which will not be enough to win what is fast becoming the next Cold War."
"China’s everything. Nothing else matters. We don’t get China right, we don’t get anything right. This whole thing is very simple. China is where Nazi Germany was in 1929 to 1930. The Chinese, like the Germans, are the most rational people in the world, until they’re not. And they’re gonna flip like Germany in the '30s. You’re going to have a hypernationalist state, and once that happens, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle."
"I do think that the central political ideas articulated in Chinese culture ought to serve as the standard for evaluating political progress or regress in China. And I do think those values are different from the liberal ideas embraced in the United States. There is a huge gap between the ideal and the reality-that is always the case. But the more fundamental question is what should serve as the standard?"
"When it comes to China, I want to be clear and consistent. We seek to responsibly manage the competition between our countries so it does not tip into conflict. I've said, "We are for de-risking, not decoupling with China." We will push back on aggression and intimidation and defend the rules of the road, from freedom of navigation to overflight to a level economic playing field that have helped safeguard security and prosperity for decades. But we also stand ready to work together with China on issues where progress hinges on our common efforts. Nowhere is that more critical than accelerating the climate crisis -- than the accelerating climate crisis. We see it everywhere: record-breaking heatwaves in the United States and China; wildfires ravaging North America and Southern Europe; a fifth year of drought in the Horn of Africa; tragic, tragic flooding in Libya -- my heart goes out to the people of Libya -- that has killed thousands -- thousands of people."
"I said that the United States' relationship with China will be competitive where it should be, collaborative where it can be, adversarial where it must be."
"Trump spoke with Xi Jinping by phone on June 18, ahead of 2019's Osaka G20 summit, when they would next meet. Trump began by telling Xi he missed him and then said that the most popular thing he had ever been involved with was making a trade deal with China, which would be a big plus politically. They agreed their economic teams could continue meeting. The G20 bilateral arrived, and during the usual media mayhem at the start, Trump said, "we've become friends. My trip to Beijing with my family was one of the most incredible of my life." With the press gone, Xi said this is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. He said that some (unnamed) political figures in the United States were making erroneous judgments by calling for a new cold war, this time between China and the United States. Whether Xi meant to finger the Democrats, or some of us sitting on the US side of the table, I don't know, but Trump immediately assumed Xi meant the Democrats. Trump said approvingly that there was great hostility among the Democrats. He then, stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election, alluding to China's economic capability to affect the ongoing campaigns, pleading with Xi to ensure he'd win. He stressed the importance of farmers, and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome. I would print Trump's exact words, but the government's prepublication review process has decided otherwise."
"A 'superpower' is a country that wields enough military, political and economic might to convince nations in all parts of the world to do things they otherwise wouldn't. Pundits have rushed to label China the next superpower, and so have many ordinary Americans, but the rumors of America's decline have been greatly exaggerated. In the key categories of power, the U.S. will remain dominant for the foreseeable future... Facts show why America is still the world's only superpower, and why that won't change anytime soon... Little of China's dramatic economic growth is finding its way into the pockets of Chinese consumers; the byproduct of an economy driven by massive state-owned enterprises rather than private industry. China's headline growth may be higher, but it's the U.S. economy that's allowing its citizens to grow along with it."
"The United States of America and the Emperor of China cordially recognize the inherent and inalienable right of man to change his home and allegiance, and also the mutual advantage of the free migration and emigration of their citizens and subjects respectively from the one country to the other, for purposes of curiosity, of trade, or as permanent residents. The high contracting parties, therefore, join in reprobating any other than an entirely voluntary emigration for these purposes. They consequently agree to pass laws making it a penal offence for a citizen of the United States or Chinese subjects to take Chinese subjects either to the United States or to any other foreign country, or for a Chinese subject or citizen of the United States to take citizens of the United States to China or to any other foreign country, without their free and voluntary consent respectively."
"The United States welcomes the emergence of a China that is peaceful and prosperous and that supports international institutions."
"I'm not one of these people that believes that conflict with China is inevitable or likely. It's certainly not desirable. But there is a tendency in parts of Chinese thinking which says, We need not only to be an important power in the region, we need to dominate the region!. That's an impulse that the United States naturally will as it has in so many ways over the last seventy years, provide a counterweight to. Because we're the anchor there... The American approach is not to dominate... The system that we have promoted for security and also commerce in Asia for seventy years is one in which everyone gets to rise and prosper. Think about the history, there... Think about the history in which Japan recovered from World War II and became a great economic powerhouse, then South Korea, then Taiwan, then Southeast Asia. Today, China and India. Now, why was that? What was the security anchor underneath all of that. The answer is it has been the pivotal role of the United States and that's a role we intend to keep, to continue to play and if the Chinese actually think about it and many of them do, they know that's the environment in which China has gotten to find its own way from poverty and isolation back in Mao's day to where they are today."
"China and Iran have drafted a “sweeping economic and security partnership,” according to The New York Times... This “strategic partnership” is the result of Donald Trump’s punishing sanctions against Iran... If China and Iran conclude their partnership agreement, Trump would presumably be less likely to use military force against Iran. If he did, he would have to be willing to take on China as well. That would be most unwise."
"Back when China and America were the best of friends — or at least when their economic relationship seemed almost symbiotic — Moritz Schularick and I came up with the idea of “Chimerica,” which unlike the rival “G2” had the advantage of being a pun on the word “chimera,” signalling that we didn’t think it could last. Well, Chimerica now looks well and truly dead. But what is taking its place? Cold Wok? Sweet and Sour War? The hunt for a catch-phrase continues. Actually, I’m not sure why I bother. In the end, it too will probably be Made in China."
"Cold War scholars disagree over whether the United States lost an opportunity in 1949–1950 to establish relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly when its closest ally risked its ire and hastened to do so. The Attlee government, concerned over Hong Kong’s future, spurred by realist sentiment in the Commonwealth, and wishing to have a “foot in the door” when Sino-Soviet tensions would inevitably escalate, announced on January 6, 1950, its willingness to grant de jure recognition. Although France held back out of fear of Beijing’s threat to Indochina, two other NATO allies (Denmark and Norway) and three European neutrals (Sweden, Switzerland, and Finland) joined India, Indonesia, and Burma and ten communist governments in recognizing the PRC in 1950. The United States stood back because of powerful political reasons—the widespread support for the exiled Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek in Congress, the press, and the churches—but also as a result of conflicting signals from Beijing. In May 1949, a few months before the communists’ victory, Zhou Enlai, Mao’s chief aide and one of the leading members of the Chinese Communist Party, had sent a conciliatory message to the US through a third party, but Truman’s dilatory response drew a rebuff from Beijing. One month later came an unofficial invitation to US ambassador John Leighton Stuart to hold talks with Zhou and Mao. But while this offer hung in the air, the Chinese were detaining the US consul general in Mukden on trumped-up charges of espionage."
"Both sides, wary of the other and divided within, could not move forward until the verdict of Mao’s success was delivered. The Chinese leadership was still distrustful of American imperialism and hamstrung by its pro-Soviet faction. America’s leaders, skeptical over uncovering a new Tito, feared manipulation by Beijing and were concerned over the actions of the third very interested player, the Soviet Union. Moscow, with good reason to fear another heretic, put extreme pressure on Mao to declare his solidarity. The Chinese communist leader, whose exact sentiments cannot be known, undoubtedly bristled at the Kremlin’s behavior, but he could not ignore Stalin’s stranglehold over Manchuria or his own ideological commitment to Marxist unity. On June 30, 1949, Mao announced that China was “Leaning to One Side” and intended to ally itself with “the Soviet Union, with the People’s Democracies, and with the proletariat and the broad masses of the people in all other countries and form an international united front.” One day later, Secretary of State Acheson vetoed Stuart’s trip to Beijing. Once the PRC was established, Washington chose a pragmatic policy between the two extremes of open hostility and conciliation. Combining balance-of-power concerns, ideological aversion, and fears for the safety of Chiang’s exile government in Taiwan, the United States refused recognition of the PRC and blocked its seating in the United Nations, but Washington did not stop others from opening embassies in Beijing or from breaking relations with Chiang Kai-shek. Nonetheless, the Chinese revolution (occurring soon after the explosion of the Soviet atomic bomb) intensified the Truman administration’s fears of communist expansion in Asia. Alarmed over the Vietnamese communist leader Ho Chi Minh’s February 1950 mission to Moscow, the Soviet decision to recognize his government, and Chinese support for the Viet Minh insurgency against French colonial rule, the United States swallowed its anti-imperialist sentiments and cast its lot with the Paris-backed puppet emperor Bao Dai."
"It’s for these reasons that the erosion in U.S.-China relations goes beyond our increasingly sharp disagreements over Taiwan. It is rooted in the fact that just when trust, and its absence, became much bigger factors in international affairs and commerce, China changed its trajectory. It made itself a less trusted partner right when the most important technology for the 21st century — semiconductors — required unprecedented degrees of trust to manufacture and more and more devices and services became deep and dual use."
"It is a national disgrace that having excluded Chinese immigration by law, the hundred thousand Chinese who are so unlucky as to be caught in the country are outraged by foreign mobs, while the government politely regrets that it can do nothing."
"We are ready to expand the friendly people-to-people exchanges and enhance exchanges and cooperation in science, technology, culture, education, and other areas... Enhanced interactions and cooperation between China and the United States serve the interests of our two peoples and are conducive to world peace and development. We should stay firmly rooted in the present while looking ahead to the future, and view and approach China-U.S. relations from a strategic and long-term perspective... We are ready to work with the U.S. side in a spirit of seeking mutual benefit and win-win outcomes to properly address each other's concerns and facilitate the sound and the steady growth of bilateral economic cooperation and trade. We are ready to expand the friendly people-to-people exchanges and enhance exchanges and cooperation in science, technology, culture, education, and other areas."
"Simon: Thirty years later, is China more free, less free?"
"Kaixi: China is absolutely - went into a opposite direction from what we have demanded 30 years ago. It's become one of the place that has the least freedom. And, no, it's less free, of course. And then thinking of - I'm a Uighur, myself. And you probably know that - let's see..."
"Simon: Yeah."
"Kaixi: ...The concentration camp in Xinjiang, my home country - that over a million people - and some estimate two millions - were in concentration camp in 21st century. So no. Today, China is one land that has the least freedom in, again, 21st century."
"Simon: The United States, of course, is now involved in a trade dispute with China. Should the United States make human rights and, even specifically, those detention camps for the Uighur people an issue between the U.S. and China?"
"Kaixi: Absolutely. You know, I have been blaming the West in the last, you know, three decades. You know, we saw it back in Tiananmen. You know, we fought for democracy, and then government answered us with massacre. And then we flee to countries like United States. Democracy - we came home, but then the support we expected wasn't there. We feel betrayed."
"China faces a worrisome imbalance of intellectual trade with the United States. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Chinese know less about the United States than Americans know about China. Most Chinese students and scholars interested in the United States concentrate either on English language and literature or on Sino-American diplomatic history and policy studies... By contrast, Americans have done surveys, oral histories, and archival research in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences all across China, including such sensitive areas as Tibet and Xinjiang. Since China's opening to the West, 30 years ago, Americans have acquired remarkably detailed insights about nearly every aspect of traditional and contemporary China... The relative thinness of China's grasp of the American way of life should not be surprising. The serious study of the United States is still young, and China has lacked the resources to look beyond practical and immediate issues such as language, business, law, and diplomacy."
"Today in both Beijing and Washington there are those who say that a conflict between China and the United States is inevitable. If they look for signs of course they can find them. A project at Harvard University argues for something called the Thucydides Trap. Named after the author of the classic on the Peloponnesian War, it takes his famous line about the growth of Athens’s power and the fear in Sparta leading to war and elevates it into a rule which, so it is argued, nearly always holds true: when a rising power threatens an established one, war is likely. Since that conclusion depends on a selective interpretation of examples from the past, it has and will continue to provide much scope for experts to disagree."
"Cooperation is difficult in the absence of communication."
"No diplomatic relationship matters more to China's future than its dealings with the United States."
"From a Chinese point of view, an electoral system that produces somebody like Trump — utterly inexperienced in governance but a skilled demagogue — is an absurdity, the equivalent of picking a major company’s CEO through a horse race. In China, leaders need to be carefully chosen, groomed, and pushed, gaining experience at every level of the Communist Party system before being anointed for the top job. That comes amid a flurry of brutally nasty and corrupt internal struggles at each level, mind you... Although China regularly trashes the US, the country’s growth has been dependent, ironically enough, on a strong, stable and prosperous United States willing to trade with the world. Globalization, as Chinese authors have repeatedly argued in the last few months, is vital for a country that needs the markets of others to keep pushing its population into the middle class and achieve the dream of being a “moderately prosperous” country by 2020... China and the United States have often been compared to the two wings of the global economy; if one goes, they spiral down together."
"In the case of China, selective repression replaced mass terror as soon as Deng's economic reforms began...the post Mao regime's use of selective repression grew increasingly sophisticated as well, especially in the 1990s. Instead of simply brutalizing its opponents through incarceration or worse, the state security apparatus has skillfully employed a wide range of tactics to intimidate, control and neutralize key political activists. Many leading dissidents were offered a stark choice:either exile or long prison terms. Many, such as Wei Jingsheng, Wang Juntao and Wang Dan, were forced into exile in the United States. This tactic has successfully decapitated China's fledging dissident movement and even allowed China's government to deflect international criticisms of its human rights practices."
"When the thirteen stripes and stars first appeared at Canton, much curiosity was excited among the people. News was circulated that a strange ship had arrived from the further end of the world, bearing a flag 'as beautiful as a flower'. Every body went to see the kwa kee chuen, or 'flower flagship'. This name at once established itself in the language, and America is now called the kwa kee kwoh, the 'flower flag country', and an American, kwa kee kwoh yin, 'flower flag countryman', a more complimentary designation than that of 'red headed barbarian', the name first bestowed upon the Dutch."
"We cannot, if we would, play the part of China, and be content to rot by inches in ignoble ease within our borders, taking no interest in what goes on beyond them, sunk in a scrambling commercialism; heedless of the higher life, the life of aspiration, of toil and risk, busying ourselves only with the wants of our bodies for the day, until suddenly we should find, beyond a shadow of question, what China has already found, that in this world the nation that has trained itself to a career of un-warlike and isolated ease is bound, in the end, to go down before other nations which have not lost the manly and adventurous qualities. If we are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a great part in the world."
"The US is a force for division, not for cooperation... The US lost its step on 5G, which is a critical part of the new digital economy. And Huawei was taking a greater and greater share of global markets... The US concocted in my opinion, the view that Huawei is a global threat. And has leaned very hard on US allies... to try to break the relations with Huawei... Do I believe that China could do more to ease fears that are very real? I do.... The big choice frankly is in China's hands. If China is cooperative, if it engages in diplomacy, regional cooperation and multilateralism…. then I think that Asia has an incredibly bright future."
"I have said on another occasion that in the twentieth-century Western democracy has not won any major war by itself; each time it shielded itself with an ally possessing a powerful land army, whose philosophy it did not question. In World War II against Hitler, instead of winning the conflict with its own forces, which would certainly have been sufficient, Western democracy raised up another enemy, one that would prove worse and more powerful, since Hitler had neither the resources nor the people, nor the ideas with broad appeal, nor such a large number of supporters in the West—a fifth column—as the Soviet Union possessed. Some Western voices already have spoken of the need of a protective screen against hostile forces in the next world conflict; in this case, the shield would be China. But I would not wish such an outcome to any country in the world. First of all, it is again a doomed alliance with evil; it would grant the United States a respite, but when at a later date China with its billion people would turn around armed with American weapons, America itself would fall victim to a Cambodia-style genocide."
"If the Chinese come here, they will come for citizenship or merely for labor. If they come for citizenship, then in this desire do they give a pledge of loyalty to our institutions; and where is the peril in such vows? They are peaceful and industrious; how can their citizenship be the occasion of solicitude?"
": It was a couple of years ago. Before we get started-- with- we're going talk about the economy and a lot of other things--the CDC-- has identified a case of coronavirus-- in Washington state. The strain of this. If you remember , that affected GDP. Travel-related effects. Do you-- have you been briefed by the CDC? And--"
"China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!"
"Just had a long and very good conversation by phone with President Xi of China. He is strong, sharp and powerfully focused on leading the counterattack on the Coronavirus. He feels they are doing very well, even building hospitals in a matter of only days. Nothing is easy, but he will be successful, especially as the weather starts to warm & the virus hopefully becomes weaker, and then gone. Great discipline is taking place in China, as President Xi strongly leads what will be a very successful operation. We are working closely with China to help!"
"The delays the WHO experienced in declaring a public health emergency cost valuable time tremendous amounts of time; more time was lost in the delay it took to get a team of international experts and to examine the outbreak which we wanted to do which they should have done. The inability of the WHO to obtain virus samples to this date has deprived the scientific community of essential data. New data that emerges across the world on a daily basis points to the unreliability of the initial reports and the world received all sorts of false information about transmission and mortality. The silence of the WHO on the disappearance of scientific researchers and doctors and new restrictions on the sharing of research into the origins of COVID-19 in the country of origin is deeply concerning especially when we put up by far the largest amount of money, not even close. Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained as a source with very little death, very little death, and certainly very little death by comparison. This would have saved thousands of lives and avoided worldwide economic damage. Instead the WHO willingly took China's assurances to face value, and they took it just at face value and defended the actions of the Chinese government, even praising China for its so-called transparency. I don't think so. The WHO pushed China's misinformation about the virus, saying it was not communicable, and there was no need for travel bans. They told us when we put on our travel ban a very strong travel ban, there was no need to do it. Don't do it; they actually fought us. The WHO's reliance on China's disclosures likely caused a 20-fold increase in cases worldwide, and it may be much more than that."
"Beijing warns — or threatens — that recognizing Taiwan “will backfire” on the international community. Washington long has been paralyzed on the Taiwan issue for fear of disrupting the delicate sensibilities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and harming U.S.-China relations. But the pandemic has disrupted all that for the world: Decoupling is ongoing, Beijing’s strident responses are backfiring, and China is increasingly isolated, needing most export markets and diplomatic partners to revive its economy and regain international credibility."
"The social systems of China and the United States are fundamentally different, and there exist great differences between the Chinese Government and the United States Government. However, these differences should not hinder China and the United States from establishing normal state relations on the basis of the Five Principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual nonaggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence; still less should they lead to war. As early as 1955 the Chinese Government publicly stated that the Chinese people do not want to have a war with the United States and that the Chinese Government is willing to sit down and enter into negotiations with the United States Government. This is a policy which we have pursued consistently. We have taken note of the fact that in his speech before setting out for China President Nixon on his part said that “what we must do is to find a way to see that we can have differences without being enemies in war.” We hope that, through a frank exchange of views between our two sides to gain a clearer notion of our differences and make efforts to find common ground, a new start can be made in the relations between our two countries."
"Our pursuit of our individual businesses, which often involves transferring manufacturing and a great deal of engineering out of the country, has hindered our ability to bring innovations to scale at home. Without scaling, we don't just lose jobs—we lose our hold on new technologies. Losing the ability to scale will ultimately damage our capacity to innovate."
"Big American companies fiercely protect their intellectual property and trade secrets, fearful of giving an edge to rivals. But they have little choice in China—and Washington is looking on with alarm. To gain access to the Chinese market, American companies are being forced to transfer technology, create joint ventures, lower prices and aid homegrown players. Those efforts form the backbone of President Xi Jinping’s ambitious plan to ensure that China's companies, military and government dominate core areas of technology like artificial intelligence and semiconductors."
"Winston Lord, Kissinger’s deputy at the National Security Council, stressed to investigators the internal rationalization developed within the upper echelons of the Administration. Lord told [the staff of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace] “We had to demonstrate to China we were a reliable government to deal with. We had to show China that we respect a mutual friend.” How, after two decades of belligerent animosity with the People’s Republic, mere support for Pakistan in its bloody civil war was supposed to demonstrate to China that the US “was a reliable government to deal with” was a mystifying proposition which more cynical observers of the events, both in and outside the US government, consider to have been an excuse justifying the simple convenience of the Islamabad link—a link which Washington had no overriding desire to shift."
"We now know of one reason why the general was so favored, at a time when he had made himself—and his patrons—responsible for the grossest war crimes and crimes against humanity. In April 1971, a United States ping-pong team had accepted a surprise invitation to compete in Beijing and by the end of that month, using the Pakistani ambassador as an intermediary, the Chinese authorities had forwarded a letter inviting Nixon to send an envoy. Thus there was one motive of realpolitik for the shame that Nixon and Kissinger were to visit on their own country for its complicity in the extermination of the Bengalis.... It cannot possibly be argued, in any case, that the saving of Kissinger’s private correspondence with China was worth the deliberate sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Bengali civilians."
"If history is the judge to which we appeal, then it can also find against us. It can highlight our mistakes by reminding us of those who, at other times, faced similar problems but who made different, perhaps better, decisions. President Bush refused to deal with Iran, even though it has huge influence in the Middle East and, in particular, in Iraq. His critics remembered when another American president faced a situation where the United States was bogged down in an unwinnable war and was losing much of its authority in the world. President Richard Nixon decided that he had to get the United States out of Vietnam and rebuild American prestige, and that the key to doing both lay in Beijing. Even though the United States and the People’s Republic were bitter enemies that had had virtually no contact with each other for decades, he boldly embarked on an initiative to bring about mutual recognition and, so he hoped, mutual help. When I was lecturing in the United States about Nixon in China, my book on the president’s 1972 trip to China, a question I was asked repeatedly was, if Nixon were president today, would he be going to Teheran for help in getting the United States out of Iraq?"
"Let me also say this: The promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach – condemnation without discussion – can carry forward only a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door. In light of the Cultural Revolution’s horrors, Nixon’s meeting with Mao appeared inexcusable – and yet it surely helped set China on a path where millions of its citizens have been lifted from poverty and connected to open societies. Pope John Paul’s engagement with Poland created space not just for the Catholic Church, but for labor leaders like Lech Walesa. Ronald Reagan’s efforts on arms control and embrace of perestroika not only improved relations with the Soviet Union, but empowered dissidents throughout Eastern Europe. There’s no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement, pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time."
"A hundred and fifty eight years ago, a large number of Chinese workers came all the way to the United States to build the . They also established in San Francisco, the oldest Chinatown in the Western hemisphere."
"[E]xtraordinary accomplishments were made jointly by our peoples, accounting for nearly one quarter of the global population."
"Seventy-eight years ago, after jointly defeating fascism and , our two countries initiated, together with others, the San Francisco conference, which helped found the United Nations... China was the first country to sign the U.N. charter. Starting from San Francisco the post-war international order was established. Over 100 countries have gained independence... Several billion people have eventually shaken off poverty. The forces for world peace, development and progress have grown stronger. This has been the main fruit jointly achieved by people of all countries and the international community."
"[T]he foundation for China-U.S. relations was laid by our peoples. During World War II our two countries fought side-by-side for peace and justice."
"Headed by General ... the went to the battlefield in China. They not only engaged in direct combats fighting Japanese aggressors, but also created airlift to transport much needed supplies to China. More than 1,000 Chinese and American airmen lost their lives on this air route."
"After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States sent sixteen B-25 bombers on an air raid to Japan in 1942. Running low on fuel after completing their mission, Lieutenant colonel James Dolittle and his fellow pilots parachuted in China. They were rescued by Chinese troops and local civilians, but some 250,000 civilian Chinese were killed by Japanese aggressors in retaliation."
"The Chinese people never forget the . We built a Flying Tigers Museum in and invited over 1,000 Flying Tigers veterans and their families to come back to China. I have kept in touch with some of them through letters."
"Most recently 103 year old Harry Moyer and 98 year old Mel Mcmullen, both Flying Tigers veterans, went back to China. They visited the Great Wall and were warmly received by the Chinese people."
"The American people, on their part, always remember the Chinese who risked their lives to save American pilots. Offsprings of those American pilots often visit the Dolittle Memorial Hall in of Province to pay tribute to the Chinese people for their heroic and valorous efforts."
"These stories fill me with firm confidence that the friendship between our two peoples, which has stood the test of blood and fire, will be passed on from generation to generation."
"The door of U.S.-Chinese relations was opened by our peoples. For 22 years there were estrangement and antagonism between our two countries, but the trend of the times brought us together. Convergent interests enabled us to rise above differences and the two peoples' longing broke the ice between the two countries."
"In 1971 The U.S. table tennis team visited Beijing. A small ball moved the globe. ...There formed waves of friendly exchanges"
"This year after the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, I have respectively met in Beijing with Dr. Henry Kissinger, Mr. Bill Gates, Senator Chuck Schumer and his Senate colleagues, and Governor Gavin Newsom. I told them that the hope of China-U.S. relationship lies in the people. Its foundation is in our societies, its future depends on the youth and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels."
"I welcome more U.S. governors, congressional members and people from all walks of life to visit China."
"The stories of China-U.S. relations are written by our peoples."
"During my first visit to the United States I stayed at the Dvorchaks' in Iowa. I still remember their address, 2911 Bonnie Drive. That was my first face-to-face contact with the Americans. The days I spent with them are unforgettable. For me, they represent America."
"I have found that although our two countries are different in history, culture and social system, and have embarked on different development paths, our two peoples are both kind, friendly, hardworking and down-to-earth. We both love our countries, our families and our lives, and we both are friendly toward each other, and are interested in each other."
"It is the convergence of many streams of goodwill and friendship that has created a strong current surging across the vast Pacific Ocean."
"It is the reaching out to each other by our peoples that has time and again brought China-U.S relations from a low ebb back onto the right track."
"I am convinced that once open, the door of China-U.S. relations cannot be shut again. Once started, the cause of China-U.S. friendship cannot be derailed halfway."
"The tree of our peoples' friendship has grown tall and strong, and it can surely withstand the assault of any wind or storm."
"The future of China-U.S. relations will be created by our peoples. The more difficulties there are, the greater the need for us to forge a closer bond between our peoples and to open our hearts to each other. ...[M]ore people need to speak up for this relationship."
"We should build more bridges and pave more roads for people-to-people interactions. We must not erect barriers or create a chilling effect."
"We hope that our peoples will make more visits, contacts and exchanges, and write new stories of friendship in the new era."
"I... hope that California and San Francisco will continue to take the lead on the journey of growing China-U.S. friendship."
"[W]e are in an era of challenges and changes. It is also an era of hope."
"The world needs China and the United States to work together for a better future. We, the largest developing country, that is China, and the largest developed country, the United States, we must get along with each other."
"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 comes along with our status as major countries."
"I've always had one question on my mind. How to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations clear of hidden rocks and shores, navigate it through storms and waves without getting disoriented, losing speed or even having a collision? 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."
"China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States. The fundamental principles that we follow in handling China-U.S. relations are mutual respect, and win-win cooperation."
"Just as mutual respect is a basic code of behavior for individuals, it is fundamental for China-U.S. relations."
"The United States is unique in its history, culture and geographical position, which have shaped its distinct development paths and social system. We fully respect all of this. The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been found under the guidance of the theory of scientific socialism and is rooted in the tradition of the Chinese civilization with an uninterrupted history of more than 5,000 years. We are proud of our choice, just as you are proud of yours. Our paths are different, but both are the paths of our peoples, and both lead to the realization of the common values of humanity. They should be both respected."
"is a basic norm for international relations and it's even more of a baseline that China and the United States should hold onto as two major countries."
"It is wrong to view China, which is committed to peaceful development, as a threat and thus play a against it. China never bets against the United States, and never interferes in its internal affairs. China has no intention to challenge the United States or to unseat it. Instead, we will be glad to see a confident, open, ever-growing and prosperous United States."
"Likewise, the United States should not bet against China or interfere in China's internal affairs. It should instead welcome a peaceful, stable and prosperous China."
"Win-win cooperation is the trend of the times, and it is also an inherent property of China-U.S. relations. China is pursuing high quality development and the United States is revitalizing its economy. There is plenty of room for our cooperation and we are fully able to help each other succeed and achieve win-win outcomes."
"The as well as the Global Development Initiative, the and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China are open to all countries at all times, including the United States. China is also ready to participate in U.S. proposed multilateral cooperation initiatives."
"This morning President Biden and I agreed to promote dialogue and cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect in areas including diplomacy, economy and trade, people to people exchange, education, science and technology, agriculture, military, law enforcement and artificial intelligence. We agreed to make the cooperation list longer and the pile of cooperation bigger."
"Secretary Raimando mentioned the issue of . ...China sympathizes deeply with the American people, especially the young, for the sufferings that has inflicted upon them. President Biden and I have agreed to set up a working group on counter-narcotics to further our cooperation and help the United States tackle drug abuse."
"[T]o increase exchanges between our peoples, especially between the youth, China is ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next 5 years."
"Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States..."
"China is the largest developing country in the world. The Chinese people long for better jobs, better lives and better education for their children. This is what the 1.4 billion Chinese hold dear to their hearts. The Communist Party of China (CPC) is committed to working for the people and for our people's expectation for a better life is our goal. This means we must work hard to secure their support. Thanks to a century of exploration and struggle we have found the development path that suits us. We are now advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts, by pursuing Chinese modernization. We are committed to striving in unity to achieve modernization for all Chinese."
"A large population is a fundamental aspect of China's reality, but now we have to give the crown of the biggest population in the world to India. China is now home to the second largest population. So for China our achievements, however great, would be very small when divided by 1.4 billion, but a problem, however small, would be huge when multiplied by 1.4 billion. This is a unique challenge for a country of our size. In the meantime, big also means strength."
"The leadership of the CPC, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the endorsement and support of the people are our greatest strength. China boasts a super large economy and a super large market. Not long ago the 6th annual was held. It attracted over 3,400 business exhibitors from 128 countries, including the United States. The exhibition area of American companies have been the largest for 6 consecutive years."
"Modernization for 1.4 billion Chinese is a huge opportunity that China provides to the world. We are committed to prosperity for all, to deliver a better life to each and every Chinese."
"To eliminate poverty is the millenia-old dream of the Chinese nation and prosperity for all is the longing of all Chinese."
"Before I turned 16 I was in a village in province where I lived and farmed with the villagers. I spent seven years there and I knew about their worries and needs. Now, half a century on, I always feel confident and strong when staying with the people."
"Serving the people selflessly and living up to their expectations is not a slogan. This is my lifelong commitment."
"When I became General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China 100 million people were still living below the poverty line set by the United Nations. Thanks to 8 years of tenacious efforts we lifted them all out of poverty. We realized the poverty reduction goal of the U.N. 2030 agenda for sustainable development 10 years ahead of schedule. In this process over 1,800 CPC members lost their lives in the line of duty."
"Our goal is not to have just a few wealthy people, but to realize common prosperity for all. Employment, education, medical services, childcare, elderly care, housing, the environment and the like. These are real issues, important to people's daily life and close to their heart. They are being steadily integrated into our top-level plans for national development, thus ever-increasing the sense of fulfillment, happiness and security of our people."
"We will continue to promote high-quality development and deliver the benefits of modernization to all. This is the CPC's founding mission and the pledge we have made to the people. It will surely be realized with the support of the people."
"We are committed to well-rounded development to achieve both material and cultural-ethical advancement of the people. Our forefathers observed that when people are well-fed and well-clad, they will have a keen sense of honor and shame."
"Material shortage is not socialism, nor is cultural-ethical impoverishment. Chinese modernism is people-centered."
"An important goal of Chinese modernization is to continue increasing the country's economic strength and improving the people's living standard, and at the same time enriching the people's cultural lives, enhancing civility throughout society and promoting well-rounded development of the person."
"The purpose of the Global Civilization Initiative I proposed is to urge the international community to address the imbalance between material and cultural advancement, and jointly promote continued progress of human civilization."
"We are committed to sustainable development to achieve harmony between men and nature. The belief that humans are an integral part of nature and need to follow nature's course is a distinctive feature of traditional ."
"We live in the same and we possibly wouldn't find another inhabitable planet in our lifetime."
"As an English saying goes, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.""
"When I was governor of province in 2002, I called for turning Fujian into the first ecological province in China. Later when I worked in province in 2005, I said that clear waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver. Today this view has become a consensus of all the Chinese people."
"China now has... half of the world's installed photovoltaic capacity. Over half of the world's new energy vehicles now run on roads in China, and China contributes one-fourth of increased area of in the world. We will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. We have made the pledge, we never exaggerate... we will honor everything we say."
"We are committed to peaceful development to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Peace, amity and harmony are values embedded in Chinese civilization. Aggression and expansion are not in our genes. The Chinese people have bitter and deep memories of the turmoils and sufferings inflicted upon them in modern times."
"[W]hat the Chinese people oppose is war, what they want is stability, and what they hope for is enduring world peace."
"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation cannot be achieved without a peaceful and stable international environment."
"In pursuing modernization, we will never revert to the beaten path of war, colonization, plundering or coercion."
"Throughout the 70 years and more since the founding of the People's Republic, China has not provoked a conflict or war, or occupied a single inch of foreign land."
"China is the only major country that has written peaceful development into the constitution of the country and the constitution of the governing party, thus making peaceful development a commitment of the nation. It benefits from, and safeguards the current international order."
"We remain firm in safeguarding the international system with the U.N. at its core, the international order underpinned by international law and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purpose and principles of the U.N. Charter."
"Whatever stage of development it may reach, China will never pursue hegemony or expansion, and will never impose its will on others."
"China does not seek spheres of influence and will not fight a cold war or a hot war with anyone."
"China will remain committed to and oppose , and build partnerships instead of s. It will continue to pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up."
"The modernization we are pursuing is not for China alone. We are ready to work with all countries to advance global modernization featuring peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation and common prosperity, and to build a community with a shared future for mankind."
"[T]he passage of time is like a surging river—much is washed away, but the most valuable stays. No matter how the global landscape evolves, the historical trend of peaceful coexistence between China and the United States will not change. The ultimate wish of our two peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change. The expectations of the whole world for a steadily growing China-U.S. relationship will not change."
"For any great cause to succeed, it must take root in the people, it must gain strength from the people and be accomplished by the people. Growing China-U.S. friendship is such a great cause. Let us galvanize the Chinese and American peoples into a strong force to renew Chinese-U.S. friendship, advance China-U.S. relations, and make even greater contributions to world peace and development. Thank you."
"President Xi Jinping said China wants to be friends with the US and said his nation won’t fight a war with anyone, one of his clearest remarks yet proclaiming a desire for peaceful ties between the world’s two largest economies. ...Investors remained skeptical, with Chinese stocks sliding as traders trimmed positions after the much-anticipated meeting yielded an outcome that was largely in line with expectations."
"From his March remarks about the U.S.-led West's comprehensive containment, encirclement, and suppression of China... to this November speech of three "will not change" [statements]... we can discern a remarkable change in tone. This shift will convey a positive signal to the Chinese system, and to a certain extent, a broader audience. ...Xi’s... speech... signifies a notable shift in U.S.-China relations from China’s perspective, to "renew China-U.S. friendship", to "advance China-U.S. relations", and to "make even greater contributions to world peace and development". However, how it will be received and responded to in Washington D.C. remains to be seen."
"After a four-hour meeting with... Joe Biden... Xi Jinping... dined with American business titans in San Francisco, regaling them with memories of his first stateside visit, calling for "friendship" between the superpowers and hinting at a renewal of . Xi attended a dinner in his honor with nearly 400 executives, government officials and academics, including... Tim Cook,.. Steve Schwarzman and other heavyweights of Silicon Valley and Wall Street."