It is already a worldwide consensus that China and the United States, the two giants sitting on the opposite end of the Pacific Ocean, play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the vast region between them, whose eminence in global affairs is growing each and every day.
It is against such an epic backdrop that there is a growing sense among Chinese, U.S. and Asian officials and experts that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming first state visit to the United States could further promote the positive China-U.S. interaction in the Asia-Pacific and thus make the Pacific Ocean more live up to its name.
President Xi, a staunch advocator for common peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific, has made it clear time and again that “the broad Pacific Ocean is vast enough to embrace both China and the United States.”
He has also repeatedly urged the two sides to honor their commitment to actively interact in the Asia-Pacific region, encourage inclusive diplomacy, and jointly play a constructive role to bolster regional peace, stability and prosperity.
With their shared important responsibilities for the region, China and the United States have been carrying out multi-level and multi-field communication and coordination in the Asia-Pacific. Bolstered by Xi’s upcoming visit, such coordination and cooperation will not only be a blessing to the two countries, but also a boon to the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole.
In recent years, China and the United States have been making joint efforts toward building a new model of major-country ties, featuring no-conflict and no-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation. Many officials and experts in both nations believe that the Asia-Pacific region should become a “testing ground” for the task.
“What we (China and the United States) are doing to build this new model of relationship will certainly give us very good guidance for our interaction in the Asia-Pacific; what we are doing in the Asia-Pacific together will give more substance to this new model of relationship,” Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the United States, said in a policy speech in Houston in May.
“I believe our ongoing efforts for constructive interaction in the Asia-Pacific region will be an important pillar of this new model of relationship. And the region will be a testing ground for this new model,” he added.