On "Chinese dream" and the defferences between "Chinese dream" and "American dream"

The Chinese dream is fundamentally about making life better for the Chinese people, and I think one should approach this concept from two angles: history and reality. Starting from the Opium War in 1840, the Chinese nation went through a century of social turbulence, foreign aggression and the sufferings of war. Yet throughout all this trying time, our people stood on their feet and struggled tenaciously for a better future. They never gave up the longing for their cherished dream. To understand today's China, one needs to fully appreciate the Chinese nation's deep suffering since modern times and the profound impact of such suffering on the Chinese minds. That is why we regard the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its greatest dream since modern times. The Chinese dream is as much the dream of every Chinese as it is the dream of the whole nation. It is not an illusion, nor is it an empty slogan. The Chinese dream is deeply rooted in the hearts of the Chinese people.

Every country and every nation has its own dream, and dream brings hope. During my last visit to the United States, my old friends in Muscatine, Iowa, talked to me about their dream. I have the impression that the Americans and people in all other countries share the same dream about the future: world peace, social security and stability, and a decent life. Naturally, owing to differences in history, culture and stage of development, China, the United States and other countries may not have the exact same dream, and they pursue their dreams in different ways. But all roads lead to Rome. The dreams of various peoples, however different in meaning, are sources of inspiration for them, and all these dreams create important opportunities for China and the United States, as well as other countries to engage in cooperation.

On the South China Sea, cyber security and other important elements of China-US relations

In approaching China-US relations, one should see the larger picture and not just focus on differences, just as a Chinese saying tells us, “When important things are addressed first, secondary issues will not be difficult to settle.” Together, China and the United States account for one-third of the world economy, one-fourth of the global population, and one-fifth of global trade. If two big countries like ours do not cooperate with each other, just imagine what will happen to the world. Both history and reality show that China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. When President Obama and I met at the Annenberg Estate, California, in the summer of 2013, we made the strategic decision of jointly building a new model of major-country relationship between China and the United States featuring nonconflict or confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. In the past two years and more since then, guided by this agreement, our exchanges and cooperation across the board have kept deepening and been upgraded. We maintain close and effective dialogue and cooperation on almost all major international and regional issues and global challenges. Facts have shown that the interests of China and the US have grown increasingly intertwined. The growth of the China-US relationship has not only benefited our two peoples, it has also enhanced peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Naturally, we have some differences, even family members don't always see eye to eye with each other. Our two countries should understand and respect each other, expand common ground and properly handle differences, and respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns. On issues that can be resolved, the two sides should make joint efforts to seek a solution; as to those issues that cannot be resolved for the time being, we should manage them in a constructive way, make sure that they are not exacerbated or escalated, and prevent them from derailing the overall relationship of the two countries and cooperation that has served our two peoples so well.

The Nansha Islands have been China's territory since ancient times. This is fully backed by historical and legal evidence. China's development and maintenance of facilities on some of our garrisoned islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands does not impact on or target any other country, and it should not be overinterpreted. These facilities have been built to improve the working and living conditions of the Chinese personnel on the maritime features, provide international public goods and services, and better uphold navigation freedom and safety in the South China Sea.

China takes cyber security very seriously. China is also a victim of hacking. The Chinese government does not engage in theft of commercial secrets in any form, nor does it encourage or support Chinese companies to engage in such practices in any way. Cybertheft of commercial secrets and hacking attacks against government networks are both illegal; such acts are criminal offenses and should be punished according to law and relevant international conventions. China and the United States share common concerns on cybersecurity. We are ready to strengthen cooperation with the US side on this issue.

I will have in-depth exchanges of views with President Obama on bilateral relations and the international developments and engage the American public in order to jointly chart the course for growing China-US relations. I am sure that this visit will send a positive message to the international community that China and the United States will strengthen cooperation and jointly meet global challenges.