New paradigm of China-US ties empowers global stability and development

Editor's Note: Zheng Changzhong is a professor of the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan 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 is a major act of head-of-state diplomacy taking place at a critical juncture in China-US relations, marking a milestone that builds on the past and opens up the future. Building on existing consensus between the two sides, this visit has further upgraded the strategic framework for bilateral ties and delivered a package of new tangible cooperation outcomes, injecting much-needed certainty into a turbulent and transforming global landscape, and offering vital strategic guidance for sound major-country interaction as well as global peace and stability.

The core strategic outcome of this visit is the formal agreement between the two heads of state to build a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity, setting new norms, defining the tone and clarifying the boundaries for the development of bilateral relations over the medium and long run. This new paradigm grew out of the continuous strategic communications between the two leaders. Its core essence was systematically elaborated by President Xi during the Beijing meeting in May: a positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, a sound stability with moderate competition, a constant stability with manageable differences and an enduring stability with promises of peace. This visit has further enriched the new paradigm and consolidated the foundation for bilateral communication and collaboration.

Top-level guidance through head-of-state diplomacy has driven progress across pragmatic cooperation and institutional exchanges. The visit has solidified regular strategic communication mechanisms. The two sides have reached consensus on global governance, economic and trade exchanges, people-to-people ties, regional hotspots and more. On trade and economy, both sides recognized the consultation outcomes achieved by their respective economic and trade teams, including a $30-billion reciprocal tariff reduction arrangement. On artificial intelligence (AI), they agreed to establish a dialogue channel to exchange views on AI risks and benefits. The two militaries agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding as soon as possible to strengthen crisis communication and prevention. Both sides confirmed their mutual support for the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the G20 Leaders' Summit later this year, building platforms for win-win cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

During the meeting, China clearly stated its firm position on safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, expressing hope that the US will adhere to the correct position of opposing "Taiwan independence" and handle the Taiwan question with prudence, which constitutes a primary red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations.

As the world's two largest economies, China and the US together account for nearly 43% of global GDP and nearly one-quarter of the world's population, with bilateral trade volume making up roughly one-fifth of the global total. A stable China-US relationship underpins world stability, and thriving China-US cooperation fuels global development. As the global landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, with challenges such as geopolitical conflicts, unbalanced development, and governance deficits becoming increasingly prominent, the trajectory of major-country relations is profoundly shaping the future and destiny of humanity. This round of head-of-state diplomacy steers China and the US back to rational communication and sound interaction, manages divergences through strategic stability and builds consensus via practical cooperation, effectively mitigating risks of major-country conflict and laying a solid foundation for global peace.

This visit demonstrates China's sense of responsibility as a major country. The new positioning of China-US relations offers a new model for major-country interactions, advances the global governance system toward greater fairness and rationality, and generates lasting impetus for all nations to jointly tackle global challenges.