By Guo Jiping, People’s Daily
Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the United States from Sept. 23 to 25 at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump. The exchange of visits between the Chinese and U.S. heads of state within six months marks a historic milestone, and will provide strategic guidance for advancing a constructive relationship of strategic stability between the two countries.
In May this year, Xi held a landmark meeting with Trump in Beijing, where the two sides agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability, which means positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, healthy stability with competition within proper limits, constant stability with manageable differences, and lasting stability with expectable peace. Together, the two sides will explore the right way for major countries to coexist in the new era.
This vision rests on four interlinked dimensions. Positive stability, driven by cooperation, rejects confrontational logic and expands shared interests. Healthy stability, governed by disciplined competition, acknowledges the reality of great-power rivalry while insisting it remain rules-based, limited, and non-adversarial. Constant stability, achieved through manageable differences, accepts the long-term nature of bilateral divergences and prioritizes dialogue and risk containment to prevent escalation. Lasting stability, anchored in predictable peace, treats peaceful coexistence as a foundational commitment rather than a temporary arrangement. Together, these principles outline a responsible pathway for major powers to navigate coexistence in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
The new vision reflects the strategic foresight of China and the United States in understanding the evolution of their bilateral relationship, their profound insight into the underlying laws of history, and their sense of responsibility as major countries to the international community.
It represents an unprecedented path of exploration undertaken by the two countries with a sense of responsibility to history, their peoples, and the world. It will have a profound impact on the evolution of the international landscape and inject precious certainty into a world marked by turbulence and uncertainty.
Since the meeting between the two heads of state in Beijing, China-U.S. relations have entered a new phase with resilience and set out anew through cooperation, with positive factors in bilateral interactions continuing to grow.
The two sides have maintained communication in areas including economy and trade, diplomacy, militaries, counternarcotics, law enforcement, artificial intelligence (AI), and people-to-people exchanges.
Communication mechanisms have continued to improve, while exchanges among local governments, businesses, and civil society groups have become more frequent, bringing many highlights to people-to-people exchanges.
The strategic blueprint laid out by the two heads of state is being translated into institutional mechanisms and concrete actions through practical progress across multiple areas.
Building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability requires first and foremost getting the strategic understanding right — the “first button” that must be fastened properly.
Looking back at the history of China-U.S. relations, whether the two countries can uphold mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation is key to whether their relationship can develop in a stable manner.
Building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability carries forward this valuable experience. It answers the fundamental question of whether China and the United States are rivals or partners, and explicitly rejects the flawed logic of defining China-U.S. relations by strategic competition.
It serves to reaffirm, consolidate, and reshape the endeavor to foster a strategically oriented, constructive, and stable China-U.S. relationship going forward.
The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations, and developments concerning it can have far-reaching consequences for the entire bilateral relationship. If it is handled properly, China-U.S. relations can remain generally stable. Otherwise, the two countries could run into confrontation or even conflict, pushing the entire relationship into an extremely dangerous situation.
The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-U.S. relations. “Taiwan independence” separatist forces are a common enemy of China and the United States, and containing them is a key part of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability. The U.S. side must exercise the utmost prudence in handling the Taiwan question and take concrete actions to safeguard the stable development of China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The strength of a major country lies in its vision, and even more in its sense of responsibility. At a time when the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and changes, the strategic value of China-U.S. relations is becoming increasingly prominent.
Fostering a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability is itself a valuable global public good. It will have a profound impact on the evolution of the global balance of power and help shape the direction of the international order in the future, generating broad positive effects.
Both countries share substantial common ground in critical areas such as supply-chain resilience, energy transition, and the digital economy. Enhanced practical cooperation across these domains offers a concrete pathway to modernize and strengthen multilateral governance frameworks.
As a new wave of scientific and technological innovation accelerates, artificial intelligence presents both unprecedented opportunities and complex risks — a dual challenge that demands coordinated global response.
As leading innovators in AI, China and the United States bear a shared responsibility to deepen dialogue, forge consensus, and ensure that AI advances for good and for the benefit of humanity. Fulfilling this commitment not only operationalizes the agreements reached by the two heads of state but also establishes a practical model for global digital governance.
To realize this potential, both sides should fully leverage existing intergovernmental AI dialogues, engage the private sector as a key driver of innovation, and reduce regulatory and market barriers across technology, trade, and industry. Doing so will unlock the productive potential of mutually beneficial collaboration. Through such efforts, AI can emerge as a cornerstone of China-U.S. cooperation and a catalyst for broader human progress.
Building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability begins top-level consensus, depends on practical implementation, succeeds through steadfast commitment by both sides, and benefits both countries and the world.
China stands ready to work with the United States to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, advance a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability toward steady and sustained progress, and continue injecting stability and positive energy into a turbulent and changing world.
China and the U.S. advance the constructive bilateral relationship of strategic stability toward steady, long-term development
