守正不移，与时俱进
　维护中美关系的正确方向

——王毅国务委员在中美智库媒体论坛上的致辞

Stay on the Right Track

and Keep Pace with the Times to

Ensure the Right Direction for China-US Relations

--Remarks by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the China-US Think Tanks Media Forum

各位来宾，各位朋友：

Distinguished Guests, Friends,

大家好！

Greetings to you all.

首先，我谨对本次论坛的召开表示热烈祝贺，并愿向长期致力于中美关系的各界人士表示敬意和感谢。我还要感谢基辛格博士对此次论坛的支持，每次同他对话，都让我感受到他对这个世界以及中美关系深入的战略思考。

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you on the opening of the Forum. I also wish to use this opportunity to thank and pay tribute to the people from all sectors who have long been committed to China-US relations. I want to thank Dr. Kissinger for supporting this Forum. Every time I talked with him, I was most impressed by his profound, strategic thinking on the world and on China-US relations.

Today's Forum is highly important. As we speak, COVID-19 is raging across the globe. People's lives are under grave threat. The world economy is in deep recession. The undercurrent against international cooperation is gathering momentum. Unilateralism and bullying are forcing their way in the world. An international disorder is more possible than ever.

More alarmingly, China-US relations, one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in the world, is faced with the most severe challenge since the establishment of diplomatic ties. Some in the US with ideological biases are resorting to all possible means to portray China as an adversary, and even an enemy. They seek relentlessly to frustrate and contain China's development, and to impede interactions between China and the US.

下一步，中美关系这艘已经航行了四十多年的巨轮能否继续保持正确航向，不仅与两国人民利益密切相连，也关乎世界与人类的共同未来。

Will the giant ship of China-US relations be able to stay on the right course in the future after more than four decades of voyage? The question matters not only to the interests of the Chinese and American peoples, but also to the future of the world and humanity.

中美关系如何才能拨乱反正、重回正轨，真正实现长期健康稳定发展？我想重点谈三点意见：

How to set things right and get China-US relations back on track toward long-term, sound and steady development? I would like to offer three observations.

First, China and the US should not seek to remodel each other. Instead, they must work together to find ways to peaceful coexistence of different systems and civilizations.

每个国家所走的道路，都基于各自文化传统和历史积淀。中国坚持的中国特色社会主义道路，符合中国的国情需要，是中国人民自己的选择。实践已经证明，这条道路不仅使14亿中国人民摆脱了贫困落后，也让中华民族再次为人类进步事业作出了重大贡献。国际民调机构多次民意测验显示，中国人民对中国党和政府的支持都高居全球榜首。任何势力都没有资格去否定其他国家选择的道路，任何国家也都不会按照别人的好恶来改造自己的制度。归根到底，制度和道路是对还是错，应该由本国人民来决定。

Every country takes its development path on the basis of its cultural and historic traditions. China's path of socialism with Chinese characteristics suits its own national conditions, and it is the choice of the Chinese people. Facts have proved that this has been the way out of poverty and backwardness for the 1.4 billion Chinese people, and that it has enabled the Chinese nation to make important contribution again to the progress of mankind. International public opinion surveys have indicated over and again that Chinese people's approval ratings of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government rank the highest worldwide. No one has the right to rebuff the development path of other countries. And no country will remold its own system to the liking of other countries. After all, it should be the people of the country concerned to adjudicate whether their country's choice of system and path is right or not.

近年来有种论调，称中国道路的成功将对西方造成冲击和威胁。这一说法既不是事实，我们也不认同。因为5000年文明孕育的中国从来没有侵略扩张的基因，我们不照搬外国模式，也不输出中国模式，从不要求别国复制中国的做法。2500年前的中国圣贤就主张：“万物并育而不相害，道并行而不相悖”。这是东方人的处世哲学，至今仍给世人以启迪。美国人民也历来把平等、包容、多元作为不懈追求。这个世界不应非黑即白，制度差异也不应导致零和。中国不会也不可能变成另一个美国。正确的态度是，彼此相互尊重、相互欣赏、相互借鉴、相互成就。改革开放以来，中国从发达国家学到了很多有益经验。同样，中国的一些成功做法也对许多国家解决当下的问题不无启发。在这个丰富多彩的世界中，中美虽然社会制度不同，但完全可以并行不悖，和平共存。

One particular view has been floating around in recent years, alleging that the success of China's path will be a blow and threat to the Western system and path. This claim is inconsistent with facts, and we do not agree with it. Aggression and expansion are never in the genes of the Chinese nation throughout its 5,000 years of history. China does not replicate any model of other countries, nor does it export its own to others. We never ask other countries to copy what we do. More than 2,500 years ago, our forefathers advocated that "All living things can grow in harmony without hurting one another, and different ways can run in parallel without interfering with one another". This is part of the Oriental philosophy, which remains highly relevant today. The American people have long pursued equality, inclusiveness and diversity. The world should not be viewed in binary thinking, and differences in systems should not lead to a zero-sum game. China will not, and cannot, be another US. The right approach should be to respect, appreciate, learn from, and reinforce each other. In its reform and opening-up, China has learned a lot of useful experience from developed countries. Likewise, some of China's successful experiences have also been quite relevant for some countries in tackling their current challenges. In this diverse world, China and the US, despite their different social systems, have much to offer each other and could well co-exist peacefully.

Second, China's US policy remains unchanged. We are still willing to grow China-US relations with goodwill and sincerity.

随着中国的发展，有些美国朋友对中国怀有越来越多的疑虑甚至戒惧。在此我愿重申，中国从来无意挑战或取代美国，无意与美国全面对抗。我们最关心的是提高本国人民的福祉，最重视的是实现中华民族的复兴，最期待的是世界的和平稳定。为此，中国的对美政策保持着高度稳定性和连续性，愿意与美不冲突不对抗、相互尊重、合作共赢，构建以协调、合作、稳定为基调的中美关系。

Some friends in the US might have become suspicious or even wary of a growing China. I'd like to stress here again that China never intends to challenge or replace the US, or have full confrontation with the US. What we care most about is to improve the livelihood of our people. What we deem as the most important is to realize national renewal of the Chinese nation. And what we hope for most is to maintain peace and stability of the world. To this end, China has maintained a highly stable and consistent policy toward the US. And China stands ready to develop a China-US relationship featuring no conflict and confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation based on coordination, cooperation and stability.

To achieve that goal, China and the US must work in the same direction, respect international law and international rules, and engage in equal dialogue and consultation. While the US unscrupulously encircles and smears China around the world, and meddles in China's domestic affairs, it should not demand unrealistically that China show understanding and support to the US in bilateral and global affairs. As an independent sovereign country, China has every right to uphold its sovereignty, security and development interests, safeguard the achievements that the Chinese people have made through hard work, and reject any bullying and injustice imposed on it.

Third, it is important to have a correct view of the historical experience of China-US relations, and stay the course of dialogue and cooperation.

近来，美国国内有人提出，过去几十年的对华接触政策是失败了，美国在对华合作中吃亏了。这种说法既不尊重历史，也不符合事实。

Some in the US have claimed that the engagement policy over the past decades has been a failure, and that the US has been ripped off in its cooperation with China. That is a comment that disrespects history and conflicts with the fact.

中美两国二战时曾是并肩作战的盟友。上世纪70年代，双方在尊重彼此不同制度的前提下重新打开建交大门。两国对话合作走到今天，凝聚着几代人的政治智慧和不懈努力，也反映了两国关系发展的内在规律和必然趋势。

China and the US were allies who fought side by side during WWII. In the 1970s, the two sides reopened the door toward establishing diplomatic ties on the basis of respecting the different systems of each other. That our dialogue and cooperation have come a long way is attributable to the political wisdom and strenuous efforts by one generation after another. It reveals the inherent law of China-US relations, and also represents the trend of the times.

In the past 40 years and more since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and the US have made the best use of their complementarity, and their interests have become highly integrated. China's success is attributable to its opening-up to and cooperation with the US and the world. And China's development has provided the US with sustained growth impetus and a huge market. From regional hotspots to counter-terrorism and nonproliferation, from international financial crisis to disease prevention and control, China and the US have jointly accomplished many great things to the benefit of not only the two countries but also the world.

Some say that China-US relations will not be able to return to its past. But that should not mean ignoring the history altogether and starting all over again, let alone impractical decoupling. It should mean building on past achievements and keeping pace with the times. As you may have noted, despite the impact of COVID-19, 74 percent of US businesses in China said they plan to make more investment here. Recently, 191 agricultural organizations sent a joint letter to President Donald J. Trump, calling for continued implementation of the phase one trade agreement. Many US universities have openly expressed their support for closer China-US educational exchanges. And many global leaders have called on China and the US to increase dialogue and cooperation and avoid confrontation and decoupling. These are the advice we must heed. More important, they are also the goals we must work for.

Friends,

习近平主席多次强调：我们有一千条理由把中美关系搞好，没有一条理由把中美关系搞坏。只要双方都有改善和发展中美关系的积极意愿，我们就能够推动中美关系走出困境，重回正轨。我在这里提出三点建议，供大家参考：

President Xi Jinping has underlined on many occasions that we have a thousand reasons to make the China-US relationship a success, and none whatsoever to wreck it. As long as both sides have the positive will to improve and grow this relationship, we will find ways to steer this relationship out of the difficulties and bring it back to the right track. To that end, I want to make three suggestions for you to discuss:

First, activate and open all the channels of dialogue. The current China policy of the US is based on ill-informed strategic miscalculation, and is fraught with emotions and whims and McCarthyist bigotry. Its suspicion about China, totally uncalled-for, has reached a point of paranoia. It seems as if every Chinese investment is politically driven, every Chinese student is a spy, and every cooperation initiative is a scheme with hidden agenda. If the US lacks confidence, openness and inclusiveness to such an extent, and chooses to conjure up "China Threats" of various kinds, its paranoia may turn into self-fulfilling prophecies at the end of the day.

Only communication can dispel falsehoods. Only dialogue can prevent miscalculation. Slandering others does not clear one's own name, and finger-pointing cannot resolve any problems. Let me reaffirm that China's door to dialogue remains open. As long as the US is ready, we can restore and restart the dialogue mechanisms at all levels and in all areas. All issues can be put on the table. And all differences can be addressed properly through dialogue. In the meantime, as long as the US does not set restrictions, we are also ready to promote exchanges and interactions between government departments, localities and social sectors, so as to enable the two peoples to know and understand more of each other.

Second, review and agree on the lists of interactions. Given the inter-connectedness and complexity of issues, it is useful for the two sides to sit down together, run over them, and draw up the following three lists:

第一份是合作清单，把中美在双边领域及全球事务中需要而且能够合作的事项明确下来，这份单子越长越好，而且不应受到其他问题的干扰；

The first is a list of cooperation areas. It should specify all areas, bilateral and global, where China and the US need to and can work together. The longer this list goes, the better. Cooperation on this list should be immune to the impact of other issues.

第二份是对话清单，把双方尽管存在分歧但有望通过对话寻求解决的问题列出来，尽快纳入现存的对话机制和平台；

The second is a list of dialogues. It should itemize the issues of differences that could be solved through dialogues. They should be designated to the existing dialogue mechanisms and platforms as soon as possible.

第三份是管控清单，把少数难以达成一致的难题找出来，本着求同存异的精神搁置并管控好，尽可能减少对两国关系的冲击和破坏。对于这三份清单，两国的智库可以先行研究。

The third is a list of issues that need proper management. It should identify the few tough issues that the two countries have little chance to agree on in the near future. The two sides should manage them well in the spirit of seeking common ground while putting aside differences, so as to minimize their impact on and harm to the overall China-US relations. I encourage the think tanks of the two countries to start exploring the three lists ahead of others.

Third, focus and cooperate on COVID-19 response. Nothing is more precious than human lives. Nothing is more pressing than saving lives. We have deep sympathies for the American people for their unfortunate experiences, and have provided the US an enormous amount of badly-needed medical supplies. In the face of the virus, cooperation should be the first-order priority. China is ready to share with the US information about COVID-19 prevention and containment as well as our response experience. And we are also ready to have closer exchanges with the US on diagnostics and therapeutics, vaccines, and economic recovery.

而美方应当立即停止将疫情政治化、把病毒标签化，并与中方一道推动全球抗疫合作，共同挽救这个世界上更多的生命，共同担负起两个主要大国应当承担的国际责任。

The US, for its part, should immediately stop its acts of politicization and stigmatization. It should work with China to promote a global response to save more lives and live up to our international responsibility as two major countries.

Friends,

中国有句古话，“行之力则知愈进，知之深则行愈达”。

There is an ancient Chinese axiom, which says, "Practice enriches knowledge, and more knowledge leads to better practice."

作为世界上至关重要的一组双边关系，中美关系有待发出更多的积极信息，释放更多的正能量。希望美方构建更为客观冷静的对华认知，制定更为理性务实的对华政策。这样做，既符合中美两国人民的根本利益，也顺应世界各国对中美双方的期待。

The China-US relationship is one of the world's most important bilateral relations. There needs to be more positive messages and energy from this relationship. I hope the US will develop more objective and cool-headed perceptions about China, and a more rational and pragmatic China policy. This is in the fundamental interests of the Chinese and American peoples. It is also what the world expects from the two countries.

谢谢大家！

Thank you.