Former Chinese Ambassador to US: China-US Relations Seeking "Dynamic Stability"

Former Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, stated that China-US relations cannot return to the past nor remain static; they are currently pursuing a "dynamic stability." This involves moving forward by continuously expanding cooperation, resolving problems, and removing obstacles.

Following US President Donald Trump's state visit to China on the 15th, Chinese state media reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump agreed to establish a "constructive strategic stability relationship between China and the United States" as the new positioning for bilateral ties, providing strategic guidance for the next three years and beyond.

In an interview with CCTV's "News 1+1" on the evening of the 15th, Cui Tiankai elaborated on the "constructive strategic stability relationship." He noted that establishing this new positioning is a significant development. After several years of interaction, confrontation, and struggle, the consensus between China and the US is increasingly focused on the "need for stability."

Cui Tiankai mentioned that the China-US relationship cannot go back to the past, nor can it remain unchanged; it will evolve with the world. "We are pursuing a dynamic stability, which means seeking progress amidst stability, and stability amidst progress. By continuously expanding cooperation, resolving problems, and removing obstacles, we are moving the China-US relationship forward."

President Trump brought a delegation of senior US business leaders during his visit to China. He also mentioned these business leaders in his opening remarks during the meeting with President Xi Jinping. Cui Tiankai considered it relatively rare to introduce entrepreneurs during the leaders' meeting, but it highlights the importance both leaders place on bilateral economic and trade relations and their expectations for the business communities of both countries.

He stated that a major problem encountered in previous years was that some parties did not want economic and trade relations to serve as a "ballast stone" and even wanted to use it as a "cannonball." Such actions must be firmly resisted, and the ballast stone should continue to play its important role. Of course, for the comprehensive and complex China-US relationship, relying solely on economic and trade relations as a ballast stone may not be enough; other aspects of the relationship should also serve as ballast stones.

Regarding the future of China-US relations, Cui Tiankai responded that since the leaders of both countries have now proposed a new positioning, it should become a common goal. Once this goal is recognized, persistent efforts should be made to move forward. Despite various obstacles and difficulties along the way, as long as progress is made step by step, "a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step."