China US Photo: VCG

US President Donald Trump begins his state visit to China on Wednesday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Against the backdrop of an international landscape that is witnessing turbulence and transformation, the international community is most keenly focused on how China and the US will interact and what they can accomplish together for the world. During the meeting with President Trump in Busan, President Xi clearly pointed out that the world today is confronted with many tough problems, and China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries, and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world. This proposal charts a course for bilateral relations and echoes the widespread expectations of the international community.

Just over half a year after the Busan meeting, the leaders of China and the US - separated by the vast Pacific Ocean - have once again engaged in face-to-face exchanges, demonstrating a strong aligned willingness to cooperate and a mature, efficient communication mechanism. Head-of-state diplomacy not only serves as a "compass" and "anchor" for the development of bilateral relations, but also will inject more stability into a world undergoing turbulence and transformation. The summit itself represents a positive "increment" that the two countries have contributed to the world. The international community is paying close attention to this meeting and looking forward to China-US cooperation providing more public goods for the world and offering more solutions to global challenges.

China-US cooperation can accomplish many "more major things" that contribute to the stability of the international system and order. At present, the international order faces severe challenges. As permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, it is the unavoidable responsibility of both major powers to jointly uphold the international system centered on the UN and the international order based on international law. As the world's two largest economies, China and the US account for more than one-third of global economic output and approximately one-fifth of global merchandise trade. Every move in bilateral relations affects global markets. Economic and trade ties should continue to serve as the ballast and driving force of China-US relations, rather than as stumbling blocks or sources of conflict. In April, China's exports to the US grew by 11.3 percent year-on-year, while imports from the US increased by 9 percent. A stable, healthy, and predictable China-US economic and trade relationship is good news for the global economy.

In addressing regional and global challenges together, China and the US can accomplish many "more practical things" by working hand in hand. From mitigating security risks associated with artificial intelligence to combating infectious diseases, and from cracking down on transnational crime to cooperating on anti-money laundering efforts, the list of areas for China-US cooperation is extensive. On regional hot spot issues, maintaining communication and coordination between the two countries will help de-escalate tensions and stabilize the situation. This year, China will host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and the US will host the G20 Leaders' Summit. The two countries can support each other on these multilateral platforms to contribute to improving global governance and promoting global economic growth - precisely the tangible results the international community widely anticipates.

At the people-to-people level, there are still many "more positive things" to do in China-US relations. For the two countries to be partners and friends is both a lesson of history and a practical necessity today. Since President Xi proposed the "50,000 in five years" initiative to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next five years, starting from 2023, a growing number of young Americans have traveled to China for exchanges and study programs, building new bridges of friendship across the Pacific. 

The rising popularity of pickleball has quietly opened a new chapter in people-to-people exchanges, echoing the spirit of "small ball moving the big ball." Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are also set to travel to the US. Hashtags themed around "becoming Chinese" have gained traction on US social media. Meanwhile, a Pew Research Center survey shows that favorable views of China among the US public have risen for the third consecutive year. These warm moments unfolding on both sides of the Pacific together form a deep and resilient cooperative force in China-US relations.

China and the US share one planet. Their relationship has long gone beyond the bilateral sphere and has become a key factor shaping world peace and humanity's future. What the world hopes to see is not one country overwhelming or "transforming" the other. An article published by the Michigan Advance noted that "we are at a pivotal moment for US-China relations where action or inaction will shape the direction of trade, technology, global security, the economy and geopolitical stability for the US, China and all of humanity. The last thing either side needs now is greater instability." True wisdom between major powers lies not in treating the other as an adversary that must be defeated, but in placing differences within the broader framework of coexistence among civilizations, keeping competition rational and manageable, and turning cooperation into outcomes that benefit the world.

China and the US are both major powers. Neither can change the other, but both can choose how they interact. President Xi emphasized during the phone conversation with President Trump in February that the two sides should follow the common understandings we have reached, enhance dialogue and communication, manage differences properly, and expand practical cooperation. It is always right to do a good thing, however small, and always wrong to do a bad thing, however small. We should make progress step by step to build mutual trust, find the right way to get along, and make 2026 a year where China and the US advance toward mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. 

President Trump is welcome to visit China again. From the government level to the grassroots, China and the US today have more reason than ever to work together to accomplish more major, practical, and positive things for both countries and the rest of the world.