Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai stressed Wednesday that the two countries should stay committed to foster the type of relationship rooted in mutual respect and cooperation, rather than confrontation and conflict.

China will never seek its own development at the expense of interests of other countries and the country's development will present great opportunities to the world, Cui said. He made the remarks while addressing the Chinese New Year Reception in Washington, DC.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, the ambassador said, adding that over the past four decades, the bilateral ties have generally moved forward steadily amidst ups and downs.

He called for more efforts to jointly promote a healthy, steady China-U.S. relationship instead of confrontation and conflict.

The international situation is undergoing profound changes. Against this backdrop, China and the U.S. should follow the consensus reached by the two heads of state, proceed from the fundamental interests of the two peoples and that of people of the world to promote China-U.S. relations steadily toward a positive direction and bring more sense of fulfillment and sense of gain for the two peoples, Cui emphasized.

In his speech, Cui also hailed China's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018 which grew by 6.6 percent to over 90 trillion yuan (13.7 trillion U.S. dollars), beating the official target of around 6.5 percent.

Looking forward, the ambassador said he was confident about the future as China has contributed to the world's development while striving for its own.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Cui said, adding that the great achievements China made in the past 70 years have proved that China has selected the right path of development as the country embarked on the journey of socialism with its own characteristics. 

On the Taiwan issue, Cui reaffirmed that the fact that Taiwan is part of China and the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China can never be changed by any forces.

His stance echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech on the 40th anniversary of "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan" delivered earlier this month.

People from both sides of the strait share the same roots and culture, and there's no knot that cannot be untied, asserted Cui, calling for joint efforts across the Taiwan Strait to realize the Chinese dream.