What has the past 45 years brought to China and the U.S.?

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Nov 13, 2024, 09:00 ET

BEIJING, Nov. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on China-U.S. relations:

What has the past 45 years brought to China and the U.S.?

In the 1970s, the "handshake across the Pacific Ocean" broke the ice between China and America. Since then, the two countries in different development stages, with different cultures, traditions, and social systems, initiated an unprecedented journey together. In the past 45 years, the ship of the China-U.S. relationship has sailed through storms in the tide, but overall, it has kept moving on course. The range of their cooperation fields, the strength of their converged benefits, and the effect of such bilateral influence have all reached a historical level.

45 years of cooperation have greatly enhanced the common interests of the two countries, which also power the long-term development of bilateral ties. In 1978, China made the historical decision of reform and opening up, accelerating its integration into the global economy. This process synchronized with the normalization of China-U.S. diplomatic ties, while China's achievements have been closely linked with the collaborative efforts by the two countries. Meanwhile, the U.S. has gained giant strategic profits and economic profits. The volume of trade in goods between the two countries has increased from 2.5 billion USD in 1979 to 664.5 billion USD in 2023, a 266-fold growth. In turn, American companies also benefited in the process; more people are employed, and costs of living lowered. U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Yellen once publicly said that China represents a huge market for the U.S., and created more than 700 thousand jobs for the country.

The cooperation and exchanges during the past 45 years have also deepened understanding between the two countries. In the late 1960s, before the two countries established diplomatic ties, more people landed on the moon than those who got permission from the U.S. government to travel to China. Now, there are 284 pairs of sister provinces/states and sister cities in the two countries; at its climax, more than 300 flights every week shuttle in between the two countries and over five million visits are made every year. People-to-people exchanges are one of the important pillars that hold the China-U.S. relationship together.

More importantly, the 45 collaborative years have helped accumulate experience in dealing with bilateral issues. In the 1970s, China and the U.S. reopened the gate for exchanges. The fundamental reason for the change was that the two nations both valued the principles of mutual respect and agreed to disagree. In the 21st century, China and the U.S. joined hands in tackling the global financial crisis and climate change, which injected momentum into their bilateral relationship. During the 45 years of ups and downs, how the U.S. positions China, and whether it treats the China-U.S. relationship from an angle of collaboration or competition, have largely shaped the development of both countries.

The almost half-a-century history has proved that China-U.S. relations need ongoing stability and improvement to thrive. Reaching consensus, managing disagreements, working together to stride forward, shouldering responsibilities as major countries, and pooling efforts to facilitate people-to-people exchanges constitute the right path for the healthy development of China-U.S. relations.

Based on the experience between the two countries' communication and collaboration, finding the right path of coexistence in the new era is the question that must be answered by China and the U.S.

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What has the past 45 years brought to China and the U.S.?

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2024-11/13/content_117544274.htm

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