US, China should unite in face of new challenges

The heads of China and the US finally met. On Nov 16, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden had the opportunity to talk via video link. The meeting lasted more than three hours.

However, this meeting was hardly aimed at solving all the problems. But this was a test step to get Sino-US relations back on the right track in the name of the interests of the two countries, their peoples, as well as of all mankind as a whole.

It's worth paying attention to the soft and hearty tone chosen by the Chinese leader in communicating with his American counterpart during the meeting. Xi Jinping called Biden an old friend, and such an address set the mood for the meeting and allowed it to be held in a friendlier atmosphere than might have been expected.

Sino-US ties are among the most important interstate relations in the world today. Maintaining a steadily developing relationship between China and the United States is a vital issue concerning not only the interests of the peoples of the two countries, but also the entire world, stability and development of our planet.

As the Chinese leader noted earlier, cooperation between China and the United States brings mutual benefits, and enmity harms both sides, which has been repeatedly proven in practice. A lot has happened in the relations of these powers, but today, in the face of common challenges and threats, they can begin a new stage of interaction for the benefit of the whole world. Both countries have a high mission to maintain peace and development. Despite all the differences, these two countries can work together to do a lot for the prosperity of humankind. The better the relations between Washington and Beijing, the better things are for the world economy and the more stable the situation in the world political arena.

And it is not just words. The two countries also have a common past. Thus, the Americans and the Chinese fought shoulder to shoulder against the Nazis during World War II. After World War II, the two peoples continued to maintain close ties and show an interest in each other, despite the absence of official relations between the United States and China. Thanks to Beijing's forward-looking policy, from the early 70s, US-China relations began to take on an official character. In February 1972, US President Richard Nixon visited China and admitted that the two peoples have no reason to be enemies. Each of the countries goes its own way, but they can be linked by common interests.

Over the years of reforms, China has gone far ahead. It is no coincidence that the world started talking about the Chinese economic miracle. Cooperation with the Americans played a significant role here. Both sides gave a lot to each other. And these ties, despite any friction, continue to play an important role for both countries.

Just look at the indicators of turnover between them. In the first six months of 2021, trade between the United States and China increased by 45.7 percent compared to the same period last year and amounted to $340.8 billion. Exports from China to the United States in the first half of this year increased by 42.6 percent, reaching $252.86 billion, while the United States imported goods to China for $87.94 billion, which is 55.5 percent more than in the same period last year. Let us emphasize that in 2020, during the period of an active trade frictions and a pandemic, trade between the United States and China increased by 8.3 percent and amounted to $586 billion. And if we take the countdown from the moment of the establishment of relations, then the trade turnover between China and the United States has grown more than 200 times!

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all countries. History has proven that despite all the differences, China and the United States have tremendous opportunities to cooperate in countering the pandemic, rebuilding the economy and tackling the challenges of climate change. As you know, China is the first country that managed to take control of the pandemic on its territory last year. The Chinese side has repeatedly expressed its readiness to share information and experience in anti-pandemic work with the Americans and jointly promote global cooperation in this regard.

Climate change is also a serious challenge to humanity. And here the Sino-American cooperation is also capable of producing important results. China has committed itself to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. The new US president also signed an executive order returning to the Paris Agreement, from which the United States withdrew under former president Donald Trump. The positions taken by the two powers create space for cooperation and bring hope to the world. It has been proven many times that when China and the United States meet each other halfway, it helps to solve world problems.

As Xi Jinping said at the virtual meeting with Joe Biden, China and the United States should respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation. "This is the shared desire of the people of the two countries and around the world, and the joint mission of Chinese and American leaders.,” said Xi.

So, it's great progress that the meeting took place. I would like to hope that this is only the beginning. The two powers capable of influencing the fate of the world should come to an agreement.

The author is director of the international expert club EurAsiaAz and editor-in-chief of Azerbaijani news agency Baku Tribune.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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