China-U.S. relations on path towards greater progress

Special report: 30th Anniversary of Sino-U.S. Diplomatic

Relations

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Chinese media) -- China-U.S. relations

have been making steady progress amid twists and turns since the start of 1979

when the two nations officially established diplomatic ties, thanks to concerted

efforts by both sides.

The ever-improving relations between China and the

United States have not only brought huge benefits to the two peoples but also

made important contributions to world peace and development.

Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping paid his historic

visit to the U.S. less than a month after the formal establishment of relations

between the two countries.

China and the U.S., since then, have maintained

frequent high-level exchanges of visits and have actively conducted exchanges at

various levels.

The two nations have signed a series of important

documents and gradually established more than 60 dialogue and consultation

mechanisms including China-U.S. strategic dialogue mechanism and strategic

economic dialogue mechanism.

With political and economic interaction expanding and

mutual understanding deepening over the past three decades, the two nations have

reached consensus on an increasing number of issues and have seen more extensive

cooperation.

The two countries have made substantial progress in

developing a multi-faceted and multi-level constructive partnership.

The development of China-U.S. relations serves the

fundamental interests of the two countries as well as the two peoples.

China embarked on its historic journey of reform and

opening-up almost at the same time as it established diplomatic ties with the

U.S.

The country's reform and opening-up drive has brought

prosperity and cooperation opportunities for countries worldwide, including the

United States. The China-U.S. cooperation has also injected fresh impetus into

China's development and modernization.

The volume of bilateral trade between China and the

U.S. rose from 990 million U.S. dollars in 1978 to 302 billion U.S. dollars in

2007. The two countries have now become each other's second largest trading

partner.

The accumulated American investment in China has so

far totaled almost 60 billion U.S. dollars. There now are 17,000 U.S.-funded

enterprises operating in China, with annual sales revenues up to more than 100

billion U.S. dollars.

However, the development of China-U.S. relations has

not been smooth, and the progress achieved has not been easy to come by. The two

countries should really cherish the current development result of their ties.

Past experiences showed that the three Joint

Communiques issued by the two sides laid political basis for bilateral ties, and

only the two sides adhere to these principles, seek common ground while

reserving differences, and enhance consensus, will the bilateral ties break

through difficulties and develop healthily.

When China and the United States established

diplomatic ties, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said "mutual respect" is the

most important factor in safeguarding and developing U.S. ties with China.

History has proved that the development of China-U.S.

relations depends on whether to respect the other side's core interests, whether

to respect different social systems, development process, histories and

cultures.

Equal dialogue and communication on the basis of

mutual respect is the right way to remove misunderstandings and improve mutual

trust.

Adhering to the direction of developing a

constructive cooperative relationship, the two countries can march to the road

of harmony and mutual development.

China-U.S. ties have played an increasingly important

role in the whole world. Today, the largest developing country and the largest

developed country share larger common interests than ever before.

The two jointly shoulder the responsibility in the

fields of safeguarding world peace and stability, promoting freedom of trade and

investment, and facing challenges like the changing climate and energy issues.

At present, the world is confronted with a serious

financial crisis and weak prospects for global economic growth. China and the

U.S., two economic entities that make the biggest contribution to the world

economic growth, cannot escape the hit.

Against such a backdrop, the two sides should promote

their bilateral ties onto a new level, further strengthen high-level exchanges,

step up cooperation in various fields, and enhance coordination in

macro-economic and financial policies. Such efforts will not only help the two

countries tackle the crisis together, but will also serve to maintain global

financial stability and stimulate world economic growth.

As China and the U.S. mark the 30th anniversary of

their diplomatic ties whilst U.S. president-elect Barak Obama is ready to take

office, the China-U.S. ties are at a significant historical point. Under the

joint efforts of both sides, the China-U.S. ties can be expected to enjoy

remarkable development and head for a bright future.