China US Photo:VCG

Why has a Hollywood movie grossed far more in China than in North America? The currently screening animated Hollywood film Zootopia 2, as of press time, has taken in over 3.9 billion yuan in box office revenue in the Chinese mainland, far exceeding its North American earnings and temporarily making it the highest-grossing Hollywood animated movie. The extensive credits at the end of the film reflect the deep integration between the Chinese and American industries. Media analysis suggests that the booming Chinese film market not only presents commercial opportunities for global cinema but also highlights China's openness and vitality.

Recently, a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs visited Washington, San Francisco, Oakland and other places in the US. Both the Chinese and American business communities are actively implementing the important consensus the two heads of state reached at their meeting in Busan, deepening economic and trade exchanges and cooperation. Since the Busan meeting in October, China-US relations have generally remained stable and positive, which has been widely welcomed by both countries and the international community. This again shows that dialogue between China and the US is better than confrontation, cooperation is better than a zero-sum game, stability is better than volatility and common prosperity is the right way forward.

China and the US should be partners and friends. This is what history has taught us and what reality needs. The economic and trade relations between China and the US are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature. Some individuals in the US talk about "the US being ripped off by China," which is a complete misreading of the facts. The volume of trade between the two countries has surged from less than $2.5 billion in 1979 to nearly $688.3 billion in 2024, an increase of over 270 times, demonstrating strong resilience and endogenous momentum. If one had been ripping the other off in China-US economic and trade relations, such a scale of cooperation would be impossible. Both sides have their own advantages in natural endowments, markets, capital and technology, and their complementarities are strong, creating vast room for cooperation. Over the long term, the interests of China and the US have become deeply intertwined.

Chinese ancestors once said, "Parties involved in trade can have their needs met and obtain more benefits." The inscription at the gate of the Commerce Research Library reads, "Cultivate peace and commerce with all." Bilateral trade in goods, service trade and two-way investment have brought tangible benefits to enterprises and people in both countries. Currently, US exports to China and Chinese investments in the US generate approximately 1 million jobs. China has long been the largest export market for US agricultural products. At the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo, the number of US participating enterprises increased by 15 percent compared to last year, maintaining the largest number of foreign exhibitors. Facing opportunities and the door to prosperity, enterprises from China and US have made their choice with actions. As Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council, noted, American companies have been in China for the last 50 years. They're continuing to develop, expand and invest in China, more and more companies are choosing to develop joint ventures, and to partner very closely with Chinese companies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that China's development does not contradict US vision of "Making America Great Again." The two countries can achieve mutual success and shared prosperity. Under the new situation, China and the US have more, not fewer, common interests, and the strategic value of cooperation has increased, not declined. Both nations face new development tasks and challenges and need to benefit from each other's growth. Whether in traditional fields such as trade and agriculture, or in emerging areas like climate change and artificial intelligence, the shared interests and room for cooperation are infinitely vast. The success of one side is an opportunity for the other. Former US president Jimmy Carter once said, "In the long term, the American people will see that getting along with China is a key to our own prosperity, our own peace, and our good life." This insight is becoming even more relevant in the current context.

Cooperation between China and the US benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both, a reality that has been repeatedly verified through practice. Mutual success and shared prosperity are tangible and observable outcomes. Looking to the future, the two sides should think big and recognize the long-term benefit of cooperation, implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, continuously expand our list of cooperation and make the cake of cooperation bigger. We should work more closely together and do more big, practical and good things that benefit the two countries and the world.

Zhong Sheng is the People's Daily international news commentary column. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn