Forge ahead into the future

China and the United States should build on past progress to realize the new vision of a major-country relationship

Thirty-five years ago on Jan 1, China and the United States entered into official diplomatic relations. It is fair to say that this historic event in 1979 exerted the greatest strategic impact on international relations in the latter half of the 20th century. It not only opened a new page in the history of China-US relations, but also had a far-reaching impact on the evolving international environment.

Thanks to joint efforts of successive leaders and the people of both countries, China-US relations in the past 35 years have achieved historic growth despite ups and downs.

In 1979, the annual trade between the two countries was just 2.45 billion dollars, while in 2013, it surged to over half a trillion dollars. Two-way investment which was insignificant in the early days of our relations has now exceeded 100 billion dollars. Today, China and the United States are each other's second largest trading partner. China is the largest source of import and third largest export market of the United States.

In 1979, the official exchanges between the two countries were limited. Whereas in the past 5 years, our presidents have met 14 times. There are over 90 mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation between the two countries, including the Strategic and Economic Dialogues and the High-level Consultation on People-to-people Exchange. Moreover, there are 41 pairs of sister province/state and 201 pairs of sister city relationships between China and the United States.

In 1979, only several thousand Chinese and Americans visited the other country. In 2013, the number was close to four million. Everyday, over ten thousand Chinese and Americans fly across the Pacific Ocean for mutual visits, and it is hard to keep a record of many more Chinese and Americans who interact with each other through the Internet and mobile phones.

In 1979, cooperation between China and the United States was nothing like what we have today in terms of scope and intensity. The two countries now maintain close consultation and dialogue on global challenges such as the international financial crisis, climate change, energy security and food security as well as hotspot issues such as the Korean nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue and Syria, and the two countries have played an important role in addressing these challenges and issues.

In just 35 years, China and the United States have moved away from a state of no contact and become a community of intertwined interests. The strategic dimension and global influence of China-US relations have become increasingly prominent. The growth of China-US relations in the past 35 years shows that sound relations between China and the United States not only meet the fundamental interest of the two peoples; they also contribute to peace, stability and development of the Asia-Pacific and the world.

The growth of China-US relations over the past 35 years is a source of inspiration for us. In particular, we should bear in mind the following principles guiding the growth of the relations:

Adhering to the right direction holds the key to growing China-US relations. Where China-US relations are headed has an impact on the whole world. A good relationship benefits the two sides, while confrontation does harm to both countries. Cooperation is thus the best choice for us. We should act in the fundamental interests of our two peoples, adhere to the direction set by the three China-US joint communiqus and the important common understanding on numerous issues reached by our presidents, and stay on the right track. By doing so, we can ensure the sound and steady growth of China-US relations.

Identifying common interests provides the driving force for growing China-US relations. Respectively being the world's largest developing and developed countries, China and the United States share broad common interests and shoulder important common responsibilities. Both countries must not lose sight of this crucial fact under any circumstances. As long as the two countries focus on our common interests and expand cooperation, China-US relations will have a bright future.