By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
During this past year of shifting global dynamics, China-US economic and trade interactions have consistently drawn worldwide attention.
From initial trade tensions to renewed negotiations, and from apparent impasses to the restoration of equal-footing dialogue, the trajectory of bilateral economic relations offers profound insights into how the world’s two largest economies should navigate their relationship amid shifting global currents.
International relations are inherently complex.Navigating turbulent waters requires wisdom and responsibility; maintaining strategic stability during periods of global uncertainty demands visionary leadership.
A big-picture perspective is indispensable–details naturally align when viewed through this broader lens. China has consistently approached U.S. relations with this forward-looking, responsibility-driven framework.
When trade tensions threatened global economic stability, head-of-state diplomacy between China and the United States played a pivotal role as a stabilizing anchor, helping recalibrate the direction of bilateral relations.
Through phone calls and in-person meetings, the two leaders engaged in in-depth exchanges and reached important consensus on managing differences and resolving disputes. This provided strategic direction while injecting much-needed certainty into an unstable international landscape.
Guided by these high-level agreements, working teams from both sides conducted five rounds of consultations, gradually building shared understanding and advancing problem-solving. Experience has demonstrated that framing China-U.S. relations solely through the lens of “competition” or “confrontation” represents both a misinterpretation of bilateral dynamics and a departure from reality. Such narratives not only hinder issue resolution but risk creating more serious challenges for both countries and the world at large.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. In that life-and-death struggle over the future of humanity, China and the United States once fought side by side, making major contributions to the defense of peace and justice and helping save human civilization in its darkest hour. History offers a clear lesson: for shared responsibilities and a shared future, China and the United States can and should work together.
As the times evolve, the weight of China-US cooperation has only deepened. The relationship between the two countries not only shapes the global strategic landscape, but also affects the pulse of the world economy and the livelihoods of people across nations.
The dynamics of China-U.S. trade vividly demonstrate how bilateral relations create international ripple effects. Even subtle changes in China-US economic and trade relations can send ripples through the world economy, spreading rapidly across borders — from production lines in Southeast Asia to traders in Latin America, and from international financial markets to global industrial and supply chains.
Beneath these ripples lies a fundamental question about our era’s trajectory: Will we accumulate risks through confrontation or build consensus through dialogue? Will we deepen divisions amid turmoil or achieve shared prosperity through cooperation?
How China and the United States manage their relationship will directly determine humanity’s collective future. This defining question of our age demands responsible statesmanship from both nations—a reality that continues to underscore its vital importance.
At this pivotal historical juncture, the world expects China and the United States to make responsible choices that promote global peace and development.
When meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Busan in October this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that the world today is confronted with many tough problems, and China and the United States can jointly shoulder their responsibility as major countries, and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of the two countries and the whole world. Trump also said that the two countries can get many great things done for the world.
As two major countries with extensive shared interests, China and the United States can continue to deliver benefits for each other and the world by properly managing differences and focusing on cooperation.
China has always responded to people’s concerns, and pursued the larger interests of all countries. The recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan(2026-2030) clearly call for opening China wider to the outside world, promoting the innovative development of trade, and expanding two-way investment cooperation.
These measures will open up broader prospects for win-win cooperation between China and all partners, including the United States. It is hoped that the US side will move in the same direction with China, shoulder the responsibilities of a major country through concrete actions, and bring greater confidence in development to the international community.
When China and the United States cooperate, the world enjoys stability; when they confront each other, the world suffers uncertainty. Major countries should act in a manner befitting their status, demonstrating broad-mindedness and a strong sense of responsibility.
In the face of new circumstances and challenges, both sides should prioritize the interests of their peoples and the long-term well-being of the world. By opening their doors wider, broadening the path of cooperation, sending clearer signals of stability, and working together, they can contribute stronger, more constructive impetus to global efforts addressing shared challenges.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)
