Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2026. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on Thursday to build a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, steering the giant ship of China-U.S. relations in the right direction, and injecting greater stability and certainty into a world marked by turbulence and transformation.
At a time of mounting global uncertainty and accelerating changes unseen in a century, the consensus sends an important message: China and the United States should choose dialogue over confrontation, cooperation over conflict, and stability over turbulence.
The agreement represents an important attempt to answer the defining questions of the 21st century: Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations? Can the two countries meet global challenges together and provide greater stability for the world? Can they build a bright future together for the bilateral relations in the interest of the well-being of the two peoples and the future of humanity?
As Xi explained, the "constructive strategic stability" should be a positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, a sound stability with moderate competition, a constant stability with manageable differences, and an enduring stability with promises of peace.
The new positioning of China-U.S. relations reflects a profound understanding of the experience and lessons drawn from bilateral ties. It embodies the consistent principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and is of far-reaching significance to promoting the stable, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.
Building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability is not a slogan. It means actions in the same direction. Indeed, positive signals have already emerged. The latest round of China-U.S. economic and trade talks produced generally balanced and positive outcomes.
The common interests shared by China and the United States far outweigh their differences. The success of each country is an opportunity for the other, and a stable China-U.S. relationship is a boon to the world. History has repeatedly proven that China-U.S. economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature.
Faced with differences and frictions, consultation on the basis of equality is the only correct choice. The two sides should be partners rather than rivals, enabling each other's success and achieving shared prosperity.
In the future, the two sides should implement the important consensus reached by the two presidents, make better use of communication channels in the political and diplomatic, as well as military-to-military fields, and expand cooperation in fields including economy and trade, health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people ties and law enforcement.
It also means handling sensitive issues prudently. The Taiwan question remains the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. Properly handling it is essential to maintaining the overall stability of bilateral ties. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.
"Taiwan independence" and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the United States. The U.S. side must exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question.
How China and the United States, the world's two major countries, get along bears on the overall direction of the international landscape and the future of humanity. As the world once again stands at a new crossroads, China and the United States have the responsibility to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, jointly address global challenges, and promote world peace and development.
The future of China-U.S. relations is promising. Standing at a new historical starting point, the two sides should stay committed to building a constructive relationship of strategic stability, strengthen dialogue, properly manage differences and expand practical cooperation.
By addressing issues one by one and steadily building mutual trust, the two sides can surely find the right way to get along with each other, make 2026 a historic and landmark year for China-U.S. relations that builds on the past and opens up the future, and jointly create a better tomorrow. ■