Ambassador urges US to implement leaders' consensus

Xie Feng, a member of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and Chinese ambassador to the United States, said the future of China-US ties is bright, as he urged Washington to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state with concrete actions.

"When it comes to China-US relations, history has repeatedly proven that cooperation would benefit both sides and that confrontation would hurt both," Xie told reporters in Beijing on Thursday on the sidelines of the annual two sessions.

Currently, China is the third-largest export destination and the third-largest source of imports for the US, while the US is China's largest destination for commodity exports and the third-largest source of imports.

Last year, China's trade with the US reached 4.01 trillion yuan ($580 billion), accounting for 8.8 percent of China's total import and export value in the same period, according to China's General Administration of Customs.

Xie emphasized that China "has principles and bottom lines that must be upheld", saying that "we will continue to resolutely defend our sovereignty, security and development interests".

"At the same time, we hope the US side will work with China toward the same goal and implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state with concrete actions," he said.

The ambassador called on the US to promote stable, sound and sustainable development of China-US relations based on the three principles advocated by President Xi Jinping — mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

"This will not only benefit our two countries' people but also greatly promote world peace, stability and development," he said.

"In summary, the road is tortuous, but the future is bright," he added.

When asked about the current international situation, particularly the military tensions regarding Iran, the ambassador quoted a poem by Comrade Mao Zedong: "The four seas are stirred up by angry clouds and waves; The five continents convulsed by the storm which raves."

"Peace never falls from the sky; it is supported and secured by a powerful motherland," Xie said.

"May our compatriots still in peril return home safely soon, and may peace ultimately triumph over gunfire," he added.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn