China's reforms help deepen common interests of US, China

NEW YORK - China's reform will help to deepen common interests between the US and China, an official from China's State Council Information Office said here Monday.

Cui Yuying, deputy director of the State Council Information Office, made the remarks in a keynote speech at the Asia Society on the reforms undertaken by President Xi Jinping and their implications for the US-China relationship.

The event is part of the sixth World Forum on China Studies, the first such forum to be held outside China since it started in 2004.

As the world's second-largest economy and the top trading partner of the United States, China's management of these reforms will have a direct bearing on the bilateral relationship and its capacity for joint action on global challenges, she said.

China's comprehensively deepened reform is conducive to enhancing the common interests of China and the United States, improving the understanding between the two sides and resolving differences, Cui said.

The two economies are now interdependent and deeply interwoven, she said, adding that a strong Chinese economy is good for the US economy.

Cui pointed out in her speech that China's reform is linked with the destiny of Chinese people, and also the peace and development of the entire world. China and other countries are part of a community with shared interests, duties and destiny, she said.

China will work with the rest of the world to promote regional and global prosperity and development, Cui said.

She also noted in her speech the 37-year reforms have changed the fate of China and Chinese people, enhanced the life quality of over one billion Chinese people and boosted their confidence for the future.

Cui's speech was followed by remarks from the president of the Asia Society Policy Institute Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister.

Rudd, who recently released his report "US-China 21: The Future of US-China Relations Under Xi Jinping", presented his analysis of the US-China relationship and a strategic framework for its development in the coming decade.

He said he remains optimistic about China-US relations as the two powers have common interests in various areas such as anti-terrorism, prevention of pandemic diseases and financial cooperation.

If the two governments have a strategic framework to manage their differences and expand their cooperation, they may in time discover that they have a combined purpose in the 21st century, he said.

He also refuted the argument that China faces the prospect of economic or political collapse, saying it lacks a rational basis.

The forum will also feature academic communication activities, which will be held in Atlanta's Carter Center on May 6-7, co-organized by the Carter Center and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

More than 30 respected Chinese and American scholars and policy researchers will exchange views on China's current reforms and future prospects in political, economic, social and cultural sectors.