On the afternoon of October 9, President Xi Jinping met with the bipartisan delegation of the U.S. Senate led by Majority Leader Charles Schumer at the Great Hall of the People.

President Xi underlined that the China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. How China and the U.S. get along will determine the future of humanity. Competition and confrontation is not consistent with the trend of the times. Still less can it fix one’s own problems and address the challenges facing the world. China maintains that the common interests of the two countries far outweigh their differences, and the respective success of China and the U.S. is an opportunity, rather than a challenge, to each other. The “Thucydides Trap” is not inevitable, and Planet Earth is vast enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the U.S. Given the high degree of integration between the Chinese and U.S. economies and their closely entwined interests, both countries stand to benefit from each other’s development. A post-pandemic global recovery, meeting the climate challenge and resolving international and regional hotspots all require China-U.S. coordination and cooperation. As two major countries, China and the U.S. should demonstrate the broadmindedness, vision and readiness to rise to the occasion expected by the international community, and act with a sense of responsibility to history, to the people and to the world. The two countries should properly handle their relations, respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation. They should work to increase the well-being of the two peoples, and contribute to human progress and world peace and development. 

President Xi pointed out that the Chinese civilization has been developing uninterrupted for more than 5,000 years. It has all along striven to stay abreast with the times, learned from others in the spirit of inclusiveness, and kept to a philosophy of peace that highlights cooperation and exchanges. China has achieved the twin miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, ended absolute poverty once and for all, and built a moderately prosperous society in all respects. These achievements are possible because the country has found a development path that suits its national conditions, meets the people’s expectations and has the people’s support. China will keep to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and advance Chinese modernization on all fronts. It will stay committed to peaceful development and work with all countries across the world to build a community with a shared future for mankind. China welcomes the visits of more U.S. Congress members to gain a better understanding of China’s past, present and future. It is hoped that the two legislatures will have more interactions, dialogues and exchanges to increase mutual understanding and make a positive contribution to the stabilization and improvement of the China-U.S. relationship.

Senator Schumer and other members of the delegation expressed their delight to visit the beautiful country of China and their appreciation to the Chinese side for its hospitality. During the visit, they have felt the vigor and potential of China’s development. They shared their views and suggestions on relevant issues in China-U.S. relations, noting that a stable U.S.-China relationship is of vital importance not only to the two countries, but also to world peace and development. China’s development and prosperity is good for the American people. The U.S. side does not seek a conflict with China, nor does it seek to decouple. The U.S. is willing to enhance dialogue and communication with China in an open and candid manner based on mutual respect, responsibly manage the bilateral relationship, and stabilize and strengthen U.S.-China relations. The U.S. side looks forward to strengthening bilateral trade and investment cooperation with China, and increasing communication and cooperation on such issues as climate change, drug trafficking and regional conflicts. 

Wang Yi was present at the meeting.