China-US relations need to withstand headwinds
BEIJING - Facing doubts and worries about the direction of China-US ties in the next four years, it is imperative that the world’s two biggest economies hold on to a cooperative spirit and stand firm against any temptation to undercut each other’s core interests.
It is no surprise that every move and every statement of US President-elect Donald Trump, a controversial political newcomer who won Washington’s top job against the odds, are put under a magnifying glass. But it is obviously hasty to draw a pessimistic conclusion on the outcome of his incoming presidency, as most media reports have got used to tagging his sensational claims and neglecting reasonable remarks made by the business mogul. Today, more attention is needed on addressing the real problems and hard reforms facing the United States, which has seen an alarming rise in gun violence, hate crimes and social inequalities, among other complex political, economic and social situations. The new US president will have to put on a struggle to tackle the country’s domestic problems, which he has already painfully identified during the election campaign. However, the president-elect is not receiving enough support or constructive criticism he direly needs, now faced with an increasingly divided country and sometimes hostile media. Succeeding a mostly upward US-China relationship, Trump also needs to resist the light-headed calls for provocative and damaging moves on China by some hawkish political elites.
The outdated zero-sum mindset is poisonous for Washington’s foreign relations. It would be a mistake to think that Washington could gain from undercutting Beijing’s core interests. It has become a worldwide consensus that a cooperative and constructive ChinaUS relationship is not only beneficial for the two countries, but is also crucial to the world’s peace and prosperity. None of the two economic heavyweights could afford a vicious competition with their unprecedented intertwined interests. The China-US ties have withstood numerous tests and grown stronger at the will of both peoples. It is Washington and Beijing’s joint responsibility to carry on their cooperative spirit despite ups and downs and safeguard their shared interests for their peoples and the world.
(Xinhuanet.com)