Xi Jinping calls on China, U.S. to focus on long-term benefits

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on China and the U.S. to focus on the long-term benefits brought by cooperation rather than falling into a vicious cycle of retaliation.

He made the remarks during a meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, after arriving in Busan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), ahead of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju and his state visit to the ROK.

Xi pointed out that under their joint guidance, China-U.S. relations have remained stable overall.

"China and the United States should be partners and friends. That is what history has taught us and what reality needs," he said.

The Chinese president acknowledged that, given the different national conditions of the two countries, it is normal for the world's two leading economies to have friction from time to time.

Facing winds, waves, and challenges, the two presidents, as helmsmen, must stay on the right course, navigate the complex landscape, and ensure the steady sailing of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations, Xi noted.

The Chinese president expressed his willingness to continue cooperating with President Trump to build a strong foundation for China-U.S. relations and foster a positive environment for the growth of both nations.

President Xi emphasized that China's economic growth remains strong, noting that in the first three quarters of this year, China's economy grew by 5.2 percent, and trade in goods with the rest of the world increased by 4 percent. "This is not an easy accomplishment given the domestic and external difficulties."

"The Chinese economy is like a vast ocean, big, resilient and promising. We have the confidence and capability to navigate all kinds of risks and challenges," said Xi.

Xi announced that during its fourth plenary session, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) discussed and approved recommendations for the economic and social development plan for the next five years.

"Over the past seven decades and more, we have been working from one generation to the next on the same blueprint to turn it into reality," Xi said, adding that China has no intention of challenging or replacing anyone. "Our focus has always been on managing China's own affairs well, improving ourselves, and sharing development opportunities with all countries around the world. That is an important secret to our success."

The Chinese president pledged that China will further deepen reform across the board, expand opening-up, promote higher-quality economic growth, achieve an appropriate increase in economic output, and advance well-rounded human development and shared prosperity for all.

He added that he believes this will also expand the space for cooperation between China and the United States.

Xi also said that the economic and trade teams from China and the U.S. held in-depth discussions and reached an agreement on solutions to issues.

Noting that the business relationship should continue to serve as the anchor and driving force for China-U.S. relations, not a stumbling block or a point of friction, Xi urged both sides to focus on the long-term benefits of cooperation rather than fall into a vicious cycle of retaliation.

He also urged economic and trade teams from both sides to continually reduce the issues on their list and expand cooperation opportunities based on the principles of equality, respect, and mutual benefit.

"Dialogue is better than confrontation," Xi said, urging the two sides to maintain communication through various channels and at multiple levels to enhance mutual understanding.

Xi highlighted strong potential for the two countries to collaborate on combating illegal immigration, telecom fraud, anti-money laundering, artificial intelligence, and infectious disease response.

He urged relevant departments to enhance dialogue and exchanges, and to pursue mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Chinese president also emphasized that China and the U.S. should engage in positive interactions on regional and international platforms. "The world today is confronted with many tough problems. China and the United States can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries, and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world," said Xi.

Stressing that China will host APEC 2026 and the U.S. will host the G20 summit next year, Xi said the two sides can support each other in ensuring that both summits are productive, so as to promote global economic growth and improve international economic governance.

President Trump said that it is a great honor to meet President Xi. "China is a great country. President Xi is a well-respected great leader, and has been my good friend for many years. We have always got along well."

The United States and China have always had a strong relationship, and it will only get better, Trump noted, expressing confidence that he and President Xi will make both China and the U.S. even stronger.

Trump emphasized that China is the U.S.'s biggest partner. "Together, our two countries can get many great things done for the world and have many years of success," he added.

The two presidents agreed to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade, energy, and other areas and to promote more people-to-people exchanges.

The two presidents also agreed to keep up regular interactions.

President Trump also looked forward to visiting China early next year and invited President Xi to visit the United States.