Chinese President Xi Jinping To U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken During Beijing Visit: China, U.S. Should Be Partners, Not Rivals; I Propose Mutual Respect, Win-Win Cooperation

On April 26, 2024, CCTV Video News Agency (China) aired footage from a meeting in Beijing between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. President Xi welcomed Blinken to China and said that the various "ups and downs" over the past 45 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries have taught them both many important lessons, and he said that China and the U.S. should be partners rather than rivals, on the basis of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. Secretary Blinken thanked President Xi and said that the United States is committed to strengthening the lines of communication between Washington and Beijing, in order to avoid any miscommunication, misconceptions, or miscalculations.

Xi Jinping: "Mr. Secretary of State, we extend our welcome to you on another visit to China. This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.

"Over the past 45 years, the relationship has gone through its ups and downs, and it has taught us many important lessons. China and the United States should be partners rather than rivals. We should help each other succeed rather than hurt each other. We should seek common ground and reserve differences rather than engage in vicious competition. We should honor words with actions rather than say one thing but do the opposite.

"I proposed mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to be the three overarching principles, which are both lessons learned from the past and guides for the future."

Antony Blinken: "Mr. President, thank you very much, thank you for receiving us today. President Biden asked me to return here to follow up on the important agenda that you both set in San Francisco, to seek to deepen areas of cooperation. And I think we've seen progress in these areas of cooperation, particularly our people to people ties. We are committed to maintaining and strengthening the lines of communication between us, so that we can avoid any miscommunications, any misconceptions, any miscalculations, and we are committed to responsibly managing the relationship."