Summit charts course for stable Sino-US ties

President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump's summit in Beijing solidified the China-US relationship for the coming years and covered a wide range of topics from trade to world peace, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, according to the Chinese Consulate General in New York.

The two presidents' pivotal meeting in Beijing addressed business, the US-Israel war with Iran and several other topics, a representative from the consulate general said.

Speaking at a news briefing on Thursday, Ma Xiaoxiao, China's deputy consul general in New York, said the summit was significant for three reasons.

It sent what he called a positive signal for bilateral relations and the broader international community, produced consensus between the two presidents on maintaining strategic stability and improving the health of the relationship, and yielded a range of tangible outcomes.

Ma said that the most important political outcome was that the two presidents had agreed on a new vision for a constructive bilateral relationship based on strategic stability.

The two presidents also committed to future exchanges on the economy, agricultural products and tourism.

Ma added that the summit "set a beginning for a series of exchanges between the two presidents this year and, also, they have reached a consensus on an upcoming visit".

The two leaders will also support each other this year as China hosts the APEC meeting and the US hosts the G20 Summit.

Ma also said that the summit last week took place in an important year for both countries. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence, and 2026 is the beginning year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

The US delegation to Beijing had over 17 CEOs, including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook and Boeing's Kelly Ortberg. The US business leaders reportedly said that they had a "deep commitment to the Chinese market", Ma said.

When asked whether it was hoped that more deals would have been struck during the visit, Ma said that what was most important was laying a path for future cooperation.

Defining factors

He also spoke about the defining factors of US-China relations, saying they should not be defined by competition, but when the two countries compete, it must be "healthy".

As the world's two largest economies, the US and China have deep ties, which means that "neither can cut the other out, nor prosper without the other", Ma said.

China and the US agreed to establish a board of trade and a board of investment to address respective concerns in trade and investment. Through the board of trade, the two countries will discuss tariff reductions on certain products and, in principle, agree to lower tariffs on products of mutual concern on an equivalent scale.

Ma said that high tariffs had not proven effective. Instead, the Affiliates Rule had "rattled" the international trade order and supply chains.

The foundation of bilateral relations lies in people-to-people relations, Ma said. "This is the most important. During the discussions, President Xi mentioned Ping-Pong diplomacy … and President Trump mentioned that relations between the two countries have existed since the establishment of the United States.

"The meeting created a more conducive environment for people-to-people exchange. We hope that there will be more people-to-people exchanges after the meeting and next year," he said.

belindarobinson@chinadailyusa.com