Responsible major-country diplomacy conducive to world peace and stability: China Daily editorial

At a time when the international landscape is marked by increasing turbulence and rising uncertainty, Chinese President Xi Jinping's diplomatic engagements on Wednesday sent a clear and timely message: China will continue to act as a stabilizing force for world peace and stability.

Within the span of several hours, Xi held a virtual meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a telephone call with US President Donald Trump. These exchanges reflect China's commitment to advancing major-country relations for the common good of the world. It is a diplomatic approach anchored in dialogue, guided by responsibility and aimed at safeguarding the postwar international order at a time when crises in various regions have been straining it.

Over the past year, Xi and Trump have had sound communication, including their successful face-to-face meeting in Busan, the Republic of Korea, and have charted the direction and course for China-US relations. Under the guidance of their head-of-state diplomacy, the two countries should continue to uphold equality, respect and mutual benefit, properly manage their differences and expand practical cooperation.

That Xi expressed the hope that the US leader will work with him to steer the giant ship of China-US relations steadily forward through winds and storms, and accomplish more big things and good things, underscored both the gravity of the current challenges and the opportunities that cooperation promises.

Xi's emphasis that it is always right to do a good thing, however small, and always wrong to do a bad thing, however small, was a practical reminder that the two sides need to manage their differences properly and constantly add positive energy to their ties. In this way, the two sides can continuously build mutual trust and proceed on the correct path for peaceful coexistence, addressing the issues between them one by one.

If the two countries can work together to make 2026 — which has already become increasingly turbulent in the first month — a year where they advance toward mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, the most consequential bilateral ties can maintain steady development. That is in line with not only their common interests, but also accords with the expectations of people around the world.

Trump's echoing of Xi's call in that regard, as well as the meeting's coverage of a broad range of issues — as listed in a social media post by the US leader — signal the candidness of the two leaders' exchanges. It is evident from this that they have the common recognition that sustained dialogue is indispensable for bilateral ties and the two largest economies fulfilling their responsibilities to the world.

Reiterating Beijing's stance on the Taiwan question, Xi stressed that China must safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and that it will never allow Taiwan to be separated from it. This should be taken as a solemn reminder to the US side that it must prudently handle the Taiwan question, in particular, its arms sales to the Chinese island, as this is essential to ensure the overall stability of Sino-US ties.

Xi's talks with Putin on the same day further reinforced that head-of-state diplomacy of major countries is a key global stabilizer. In their talks, Xi highlighted the need for closer strategic coordination, stronger pragmatic cooperation and joint efforts to uphold global stability, saying that the two countries share an obligation to safeguard the United Nations-centered international system and the basic norms of international law.

At a time when confrontation and unilateralism are on the rise, China continues to choose dialogue and coordination. By maintaining communication with both Washington and Moscow, Beijing is actively shouldering its responsibility — working together with major stakeholders to contribute to world peace and stability through responsible major-country diplomacy.

In doing so, China is showing other major players on the world stage the importance of refocusing on dialogue and coordination. Such a pragmatic approach is not only prudent; it is indispensable.