Head-of-state diplomacy underpins dynamic stability of China-US ties

Editor's Note: Wang Yong is the deputy dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University. The article reflects the author's opinions and does not necessarily represent the views of CGTN.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States, held amid complex global shifts and lingering bilateral frictions, yielded solid and implementable consensus to consolidate the strategic framework for dynamic stability in China-US relations. As the highest-level bilateral engagement, head-of-state diplomacy serves as an irreplaceable strategic anchor to manage differences, prevent strategic miscalculations, and foster constructive stability in economic, trade and technological domains.

According to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the two economies together accounted for nearly 43% of global GDP in 2025, the US at around 26% and China at roughly 17%, and contributed about 45% of global economic growth that year. Result-oriented China-US cooperation delivers vital certainty and growth momentum to an uncertain global landscape. Top-level diplomacy sets the fundamental strategic orientation for sustainable bilateral stability.

During in-depth presidential consultations, both sides reaffirmed the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and expressed commitment to building a constructive strategic relationship based on respect, fairness and reciprocity. This authoritative political consensus overrides sporadic industrial and market disputes, clarifies the bottom line for bilateral interactions, and stops isolated frictions from escalating into systemic confrontation. By locking in regular high-level exchanges and institutionalized consultation mechanisms, the two nations have built a reliable strategic stabilizer to keep China-US relations generally stable amid periodic fluctuations.

The visit achieved tangible, sector-specific outcomes that significantly strengthen economic and trade stability, the most foundational pillar of bilateral ties. The two sides formally launched bilateral Trade and Investment Councils, dedicated permanent dialogue platforms to resolve market access barriers, industrial policy divergences and investment review concerns through equal, rule-based negotiations. This institutional arrangement replaces arbitrary friction with predictable problem-solving procedures, securing long-term stability for bilateral trade and investment. Notably, the two countries reached landmark cooperation agreements in key commercial sectors.

In civil aviation, China plans to procure 200 Boeing aircraft based on commercial principles, while the US guarantees stable supply of aero-engines and spare parts to sustain integrated industrial cooperation along the aviation value chain. In agriculture, both sides resolved long-standing market access bottlenecks, expanding bilateral trade in grain, livestock products and agricultural inputs to benefit businesses and consumers on both sides. Meanwhile, the two nations agreed to optimize reciprocal tariff arrangements, appropriately ease restrictive measures and maintain a transparent, stable trade policy environment. These targeted moves effectively cut corporate operating costs, stabilize two-way trade volume, and consolidate the mutually beneficial foundation of bilateral economic relations, with tangible progress also seen in automotive and consumer industry cooperation. In technology, presidential consensus standardizes healthy competition to avoid systemic decoupling.

Both sides recognized that tech decoupling harms all stakeholders and pledged to preserve normal academic exchanges, non-sensitive industrial technical cooperation and cross-border investment. The two countries will strengthen dialogue on artificial intelligence governance, guard against technological risks and misuse, and advocate innovation-driven competition rather than zero-sum containment. This framework keeps tech rivalry within manageable bounds, safeguards the integrity of global industrial and supply chains, and builds a stable governance paradigm for bilateral tech interactions.

Stable China-US cooperation carries far-reaching global significance. As the world's two largest economies, their sound economic and trade ties bolster global market confidence, revitalize cross-border investment, and stabilize global industrial chains. China alone contributed approximately 30% of global GDP growth in 2025, underscoring its role as the primary engine of world economic expansion.

Expanded bilateral pragmatic cooperation strongly fuels sluggish global economic recovery. Furthermore, their adherence to dialogue and win-win coexistence sets a benchmark for major-country relations, eases geopolitical tensions, and upholds the multilateral trading system and international rule of law. Joint coordination between China and the US is also indispensable in tackling global challenges such as climate governance and digital economy regulation.

In summary, this state visit fully demonstrates the decisive role of head-of-state diplomacy in safeguarding China-US dynamic strategic stability. By institutionalizing trade dialogue, advancing landmark sectoral cooperation, and standardizing tech competition rules, both sides have translated strategic visions into concrete deliverables. Continuous implementation of this consensus will further consolidate the economic ballast of bilateral relations, promote mutually beneficial coexistence, and bring lasting stability and prosperity to the world.