China, U.S. should bear responsibility for history, people: Chinese ambassador

The United States and China should shoulder their responsibility for history, the people and the world and usher in a brighter future for their relations, China's top envoy in Washington has said.

The Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, made the remarks at a reception in the Chinese embassy Tuesday, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and celebrating the 2024 Chinese New Year.

Over the past 45 years, the China-U.S. relationship has kept forging ahead amid twists and turns, benefiting both countries and the world, Xie said.

He said history has proven that "turning our back on each other" is not an option for the two countries, that it is unrealistic for one side to try to remodel the other, and that conflict and confrontation have unbearable consequences for both sides.

It is important to act with a sense of responsibility for history, draw inspiration from the past, and keep to the right direction of China-U.S. relations, the diplomat said.

The top priority now is to honor the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, turn the San Francisco vision into reality, and promote the sound, stable and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations with concrete actions, he continued.

The two sides also need to learn lessons from history and stay vigilant against a new "Cold War," the resurgence of McCarthyism and the repetition of the Oppenheimer-era tragedy, Xie said.

It is important to act with a sense of responsibility for the people and do more things that will bring them tangible benefits, Xie said, calling on the two sides to further remove obstacles to people-to-people exchanges in flights, visa policy and border entry.

It is also important to act with a sense of responsibility for the world and provide more stability and certainty, the diplomat said, stressing the need for strengthening communication and coordination on hotspots like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis as well as global challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence.

At the reception, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink conveyed a message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said that since 1979, the U.S.-China relationship has become one of the most consequential in the world.

Last year, the two sides made significant efforts to restore high-level diplomacy and open channels of communication, to reduce the risk of miscalculation and misperception, and to make progress on tangible issues that matter to our peoples as well as to people around the world, Blinken said in the message.

In his remarks, Kritenbrink said that the U.S. side is ready to work together with China to renew the commitment to responsibly manage the U.S.-China relationship, sustain high-level interactions, follow through on the implementation and build on the foundation laid at the summit between the two leaders in Woodside, California, for the benefit of our two peoples and people around the world.

In their respective speeches, Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and Craig Allen, president of the U.S.-China Business Council, reviewed the process of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Former U.S. ambassadors to China, including J. Stapleton Roy, Joseph Prueher, Clark T. Randt, Jon Huntsman, Gary Locke, Max Baucus and Terry Branstad, sent messages to the event and extended their warm congratulations on the 45th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and their New Year greetings to the Chinese people.

U.S. Director of National Drug Control Policy Rahul Gupta, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago, White House National Security Council Senior Director for China Affairs Sarah Beran, former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and former United States Trade Representative Carla Hills were also among a total of some 700 Chinese and American guests attending the reception.

(Cover: Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng speaks at a breakfast briefing hosted by the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) at invitation in Washington, D.C., the United States, June 28, 2023. /Xinhua)