Talks between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last week have set a constructive tone for relations between the world’s two largest economies, according to Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Analysts said Sino-US relations are expected to make progress while maintaining stability as the two countries have a wide range of common interests.
During the talks, the first face-to-face communications between Xi and Trump, the two presidents reached consensuses after spending a total of more than seven hours in deep discussion in several sessions, Wang said.
The talks took place against the backdrop of mounting uncertainties, given tensions that have been rising in trade, maritime issues and the Korean Peninsula.
Both sides agreed that the meeting, which has drawn worldwide attention, “was positive and fruitful,” Wang said, adding that the meeting has set a constructive tone for the development of China-US relations, and helped set the direction for collective endeavors.
The two presidents shared their state governance thoughts and domestic and foreign policy agendas, and the meeting increased mutual understanding and built good working relations, according to Wang.
Xi invited Trump to make a state visit to China this year, and the US president accepted. Wang said they also agreed to remain in close contact through meetings, phone calls and written communications.
The two leaders charted the course and established principles for their relationship. Xi said cooperation is the only right choice for China and the United States, while Trump said the US stands ready to work with China to eliminate factors and issues that stand in the way of their relations.
China and the US agreed to facilitate the healthy development of two-way trade and investment, to advance negotiations on a bilateral investment treaty and to promote pragmatic cooperation in infrastructure and other areas, Wang said.
Both sides plan to make good use of the joint staff dialogue set up to boost military communications, he said, adding that both countries intend to deepen cooperation in law enforcement and cybersecurity, and to boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
The two sides also initiated a comprehensive economic dialogue and a diplomatic and security dialogue, which make up two elements of the four-pronged dialogue structure they established. The other two are a law enforcement and cybersecurity dialogue and a social and cultural issues dialogue.
The two leaders exchanged their opinions on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and other regional and global issues. Both sides agreed to expand cooperation at multiple levels in order to make contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, according to Wang.
The meeting of the two leaders has achieved the expected goals of enhancing understanding, building mutual trust and highlighting consensuses, Wang said.
Su Ge, head of the China Institute of International Studies, a leading think tank in China, said that the meeting has not only facilitated the smooth transition of China-US ties, but also marks a good start for the progressive development of their relations in the new era.
For large nations like China and the US, disagreements are natural, and the key is how to handle them, he said, adding that the two countries should uphold the principle of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and cooperation for win-win results.
Su Xiaohui, a researcher on international strategy at the China Institute of International Studies, said that the meeting has provided important opportunities for the two leaders to understand each other and gather points of consensus.
The talks are of great significance because they are helpful in stabilizing the two nations’ relationship, avoiding misjudgments and decreasing uncertainties, she said.
Jon Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St Thomas in Houston, said that the meeting between Xi and Trump demonstrated that neither confrontation nor contention is inevitable between the world’s two most powerful nations.
“The two leaders made it a point to note that they are enthusiastic about developing a constructive and pragmatic relationship. Establishing a personal relationship, getting to know each other, was one of the most important highlights of the summit,” Taylor told China Daily on Sunday.
“Overall, the summit was a success and set a positive and constructive tone for future Xi-Trump interactions as well as China-US relations going forward,” Taylor said.
Zhiqun Zhu, professor of political science and international relations at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, said it is unrealistic for some people to expect a breakthrough on trade and DPRK in this summit because it was actually the earliest summit in history with Chinese counterpart since a US president taking office and preparations were made only in a short period of time.
“Most people think it was a successful summit,” Zhu told China Daily on Sunday.
Zhu said Trump has shown his hospitality, saying the image of Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner sitting next to President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan and Trump’s grandchildren performing before the dinner has left a deep impression upon people.
“The most important part is that the two leaders have established a friendly, positive and constructive and cooperative relationship. They are going to guide the comprehensive dialogue and are willing to resolve difficult issues through dialogue and negotiations,” Zhu said.
“It’s fair to say that through this summit, the China-US relationship is back on track emphasizing cooperation,” Zhu said. He said both leaders and their teams should be applauded for the outcome.
