China-US relations Xi Jinping and Joe Biden exchange greetings on 45th anniversary of ties
- The presidents of the world’s two biggest economies have congratulated each other’s countries for 45 years of diplomatic relations
- The exchange marks a welcome start to the new year for Washington and Beijing after years of tensions amid their growing rivalry
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported the exchange on Monday morning, which followed exchanges of new year’s greetings between Xi and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Xi and Biden’s exchange come as the two countries bid to restore relations that have reached their most confrontational point in the 45 years since ties were established in 1979.
In November, Xi and Biden met in San Francisco and agreed to restore a wide range of communication channels that were heavily curtailed after then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022.
Dialogue on climate, the fight against illegal drugs, and military communication channels were all affected in the wake of the Pelosi visit to Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of its territory.
Like most countries, the US does not recognise the self-ruled island as an independent state, but opposes any unilateral change to the status quo.
Beijing and Washington officially established ties on January 1, 1979, based on agreements reached after years of negotiations. On the same date, Washington officially switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
In his letter to Biden, Xi said the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US was a “major event” in the history of bilateral and international relations, according to the text released by Beijing.
“Over the past 45 years, China-US relations have gone through ups and downs but have generally moved forward, which has not only enhanced the well-being of the two peoples, but also promoted world peace, stability and prosperity,” he said.
“History has and will continue to fully prove that adhering to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation is the correct way for China and the United States to get along with each other.”
Xi also referred to his meeting in November with Biden, where he said the “San Francisco Vision” opened up the future and pointed out the direction for the development of China-US relations.
The Chinese leader stressed his willingness to cooperate to continue “to steer China-US relations, benefit both China and the United States and their people, and promote world peace and development”.
According to the Chinese readout, Biden responded that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979, the relationship between the US and China had promoted prosperity and opportunities for the US, China and the world.
“I am committed to responsibly managing this important relationship. I look forward to building on the progress made by our predecessors and our many meetings and discussions as we continue to advance the US-China relationship,” Biden said.
Beijing has been sending messages about its hopes for an improvement in US-China relations for the past two months.
On Sunday, state news agency Xinhua published a commentary to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the US, characterising 2024 as a “historical juncture” for the two nations.
China and the US should work together in the year ahead to help the bilateral relationship “set out on a new journey”, the commentary said.
“China and the US have had differences in the past, have had differences in the present, and will still have differences in the future, and the key is to manage them in a constructive manner,” it said.
The article added that China and the US had become “a community of interests” through years of open cooperation, and should respect each other’s core interests and major concerns while ensuring competition is “benign and healthy”.
Xi and then US president Donald Trump exchanged similar messages in 2019, on the 40th anniversary of official ties, according to a statement from Beijing. Trump’s “priority” was to promote “cooperative and constructive” US-China relations, it said.
Biden, who has announced his intention to run again in November’s US elections, is likely to face Trump, with the outcome potentially bringing drastic changes to the US-China relationship.
Trump is the leading Republican candidate, according to multiple polls, and is expected to be in a contest with Biden.
Zhu Feng, executive dean of Nanjing University’s School of International Studies, said the presidential exchange of greetings signalled a “good omen” for China-US relations in 2024.
The messages showed that the door to communication remains wide open, he said. Zhu also expects high-level contacts and resumed dialogues across various sectors to continue this year.
“Both sides are indeed aware of the current turbulent global situation, and that it is important to maintain dialogue, coordination and communication between China and the US,” he said.
US-China relations specialist Lu Xiang, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted the improved atmosphere since the leaders’ summit and said the new year exchange showed Beijing’s willingness to continue stabilising and developing ties.
“China has made it clear that it views the relationship not only from the Chinese perspective, but also in the context of the world pattern, especially the necessity and importance of … cooperation, given the current challenges facing the global economy,” Lu said.
“However, we cannot overlook the fact that from the South China Sea to the Taiwan Strait, the two sides are sometimes very close to crises, literally just a few metres away.”
Lu said China has maintained its long-term commitment to friendly relations between the two countries, “but whether the US can respond with goodwill remains a question mark”.
According to Lu, China is hoping the US can change its attitude and not use competition to define the relationship – otherwise the odds of sliding into confrontation would always be there.
In their New Year exchange of messages, Xi and Kim announced that 2024 will be designated as the “China-DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] Friendship Year”, accompanied with a series of activities.
Xi said the “traditional friendly and cooperative relationship has entered a new historical period”, according to North Korea’s state-owned media Korean Central Television.
The Chinese leader also exchanged new year’s greetings with Putin on Sunday, pledging to continue promoting bilateral relations and kicking off the 2024-2025 China-Russia Year of Culture.
In his letter to Putin, XI said that under the two leaders’ guidance, China and Russia had “further deepened political mutual trust, strengthened strategic coordination and achieved new results in mutually beneficial cooperation”.
Xi and Putin met twice last year, with Xi’s visit to Moscow in March marking his first international trip after confirming his third term in the 2023 National People’s Congress. The Russian leader also visited Beijing in October for the Belt and Road Forum.
Beijing’s ties with Pyongyang and Moscow strengthened last year, ahead of the 75th anniversary of China’s diplomatic ties with North Korea and Russia in 2024.
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