Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai speaks at a gala dinner held by the U.S.-China Business Council in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
- "We have to manage the differences in a constructive way. We have to keep in mind that our common interests and mutual needs always outweigh whatever differences we have."
- "Going forward there are clear, new opportunities for our two countries to strengthen our cooperation, to build a stronger relationship between us."
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States have to manage their differences in a constructive way, and collaboration between the two is expected by the international community in the face of global challenges, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.
"We have to recognize that there will always be differences between us because we are two different countries with very different historical heritages, different cultures, and different political and economic systems," said Cui in a recent interview with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson on the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."
The conversation, held on Aug. 28 and aired on Monday, covered topics including current China-U.S. relations, bilateral economic and trade cooperation, global governance, and China's economy.
"But we have to manage the differences in a constructive way. We have to keep in mind that our common interests and mutual needs always outweigh whatever differences we have," he said. "We are faced with so many global challenges. Neither China nor the United States can handle them all by itself, whether the pandemic or climate change or natural disasters."
What's more, none of these global issues could be solved with the traditional toolbox of great-power competition, the ambassador pointed out.
Global challenges "have reminded us we have to enhance global governance for better international cooperation," and therefore "China is ready to support and contribute to the joint efforts to make global governance more responsive, more effective," said Cui.
Photo taken on April 27, 2020 shows people posing for a photo with the face masks donated by China's Fujian Province in Oregon, the United States. Governor of the U.S. state of Oregon Kate Brown expressed her heartfelt thanks to China for its donation of 50,000 medical face masks from Oregon's sister province Fujian. (Xinhua)
While at the same time, better global governance system will require the participation and contribution of all countries, particularly major countries like China and the United States, he added.
It is also the expectation of the international community that "China and the United States should work with each other, not against each other, on these global challenges," the ambassador noted.
Containers of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited are seen at the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles County, the United States, Feb. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
As for the future of China-U.S. relations, the Chinese ambassador said there are clear, new opportunities for the United States and China to build a stronger relationship if there is sufficient political will for cooperation.
"Going forward there are clear, new opportunities for our two countries to strengthen our cooperation, to build a stronger relationship between us," he said. "If there is sufficient political will for cooperation, certainly the opportunities are there." ■
