No clash between Chinese and American dreams

Also, Chinese and Americans both pursue social justice. During its more than two-centuries-old history, the US has seen its people struggle to achieve more social justice. Their struggles have led, among other things, to the abolition of slavery, racial equality and universal suffrage.

As a nation with more than 5,000 years' history, China, too, strives for social justice, which has acquired special importance in this era of social transformation and technological advancement. Different groups of people have realized their interests and learned new ways of expressing themselves, and it is important for the country's leadership to respond properly to their calls.

Realizing this, Xi has said, "Let the people feel justice in every legal case", which has been widely quoted by scholars and journalists. In an article on people.com.cn last month, titled "On my gavel hangs their dreams", Li Li, a judge, wrote how court judgments affected the lives of ordinary citizens. Justice is thus directly related with people's trust in society.

Common prosperity for all is another factor the Chinese and Americans share. Common prosperity has become even more important today because both countries face the problem of widening social gap. Many people I met in the US said they favored Barack Obama as president because his policies appealed more to people who felt "deprived". That Obama has been re-elected president shows how popular the American Dream is for Americans.

The case in China is similar. Two weeks before the annual NPC session this year, the People's Daily website conducted its 12th annual survey on social issues. About 98 percent of the 680,000 netizens who responded to the survey said the "widening social gap" was their top concern. After the NPC session, more than half the people who responded to another survey on "what you expect the government to do" to realize the Chinese Dream, said it should "narrow the social gap". The new leaders are taking measures to do so.

It is these common factors that make it possible for China and the US to hold a dialogue on their dreams in order to ease tensions and avoid misunderstandings. Thus the best thing for China and the US and the rest of the world would be for the two countries to realize their dreams peacefully.

The author is a writer with China Daily.

Email: zhangzhouxiang@chinadaily.com.cn.