Leaders' letters a good sign for bilateral ties

Xi highlights 'mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation'

In a move to motivate supporters of China-US friendship, the leaders of both countries have sent congratulatory letters to a gala dinner in New York and underscored the global significance of the relationship.

More positive gestures and actions are expected from both sides, particularly Washington, to help repair the tense relationship between the countries, experts and officials said.

China-US ties are "at a critical historical juncture", President Xi Jinping said in his letter to the annual National Committee on US-China Relations dinner on Tuesday evening. Xi underscored Beijing's readiness to follow the principles of "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation" and work with Washington to "enhance exchanges and cooperation across the board".

Beijing stands ready to jointly address regional and international issues as well as global challenges and to properly manage differences, he added.

According to Xi, the goal is to bring China-US ties, "one of the world's most important bilateral relationships", back on the right track of sound and steady development.

When reaffirming the importance of the ties, Xi said both countries will gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.

His letter was read by Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang at the gala dinner. In his own speech, Qin said that some people have said the relationship cannot return to the past, but "we reject this view".

China's policy toward the US is "highly" consistent and stable, and the Chinese side always handles the relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, Qin added.

US President Joe Biden said in his letter that the relationship has global significance, from tackling the pandemic to addressing the climate crisis.

"Solving these challenges and seizing opportunities will require the broader international community to come together as we each do our part to build a safe, peaceful, and resilient future," Biden added.

The letters came as the two sides have engaged one another through several key contacts and meetings.

Senior diplomats from both sides met in Anchorage, Alaska, in March, in Tianjin in July, and in Zurich and Rome separately in October. Xi and Biden have had two phone conversations this year－one in February and another in September.

Diao Daming, an associate professor of US studies at Renmin University of China, said Xi's letter shows that Beijing "is willing to further tap into friendly figures and organizations' roles and to further stabilize relations."

The committee has played a vital role in contact between the two countries since the 1960s, well ahead of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979, and its members are indispensable for the growth of ties, Diao said.

Biden's letter represents the "calm, reasonable views" in the US toward China ties, and "is helpful for potential greater contacts between the two leaders and the two countries", Diao added.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday that the two sides are maintaining close communication on arrangements for a meeting of the two heads of state.

The two leaders have agreed to maintain regular contact through multiple means, Wang added.

Speaking at the reception, the committee's chairman and former US treasury secretary Jacob Lew said, he was encouraged by the increased pace of government-to-government talks. Stabilizing the relationship must be a shared priority and responsibility, and "escalating hostility" cannot be allowed to lead to either a full economic decoupling or even worse, outright conflict, Lew said.

Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department of American Studies, said the leaders' letters show that both sides know that it is impossible to suffocate exchanges.

"Currently, there still are some disturbing factors clouding the ties, and both sides, particularly the US, need to work toward the same goals," she said.

In his letter, Xi said whether they can handle their relations well "bears on the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples and matters to the future of the world".

He hailed the committee's "longtime dedication to the growth of China-US ties" and encouraged the organization and all those who care for and support the development of ties to reinforce confidence, keep up their good work, and contribute more wisdom and strength to the advancement of China-US friendship to the benefit of people in both countries and around the world.

Biden praised the committee for "helping foster mutual understanding and constructive conversation to help find common ground".