Xi says U.S. and China can only be adversaries or partners

BEIJING — The U.S. and China have to decide on between being adversaries or companions, Chinese language President Xi Jinping informed American enterprise executives late Wednesday in San Francisco.

His remarks distinction with the Biden administration’s method of pursuing strategic competitors with Beijing — proscribing exports of superior U.S. tech to China, whereas searching for areas of cooperation.

Xi was talking at a dinner in San Francisco following his assembly with U.S. President Joe Biden a number of hours earlier, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation convention.

“I’ve all the time had one query on my thoughts: The right way to steer the large ship of China-U.S. relations away from hidden rocks and shoals, navigate it by means of storms and waves with out getting disoriented, shedding velocity and even having a collision?” Xi mentioned, based on an English-language readout of his Mandarin-language speech.

“On this respect, the primary query for us is: are we adversaries, or companions? That is the elemental and overarching challenge,” he mentioned.

“The logic is kind of easy. If one sees the opposite facet as a main competitor, probably the most consequential geopolitical problem and a pacing menace, it is going to solely result in misinformed coverage making, misguided actions, and undesirable outcomes,” Xi mentioned.

“China is able to be a accomplice and good friend of the USA,” he mentioned. “The basic ideas that we comply with in dealing with China-U.S. relations are mutual respect, peaceable coexistence and win-win cooperation.”

Practically 400 enterprise leaders — together with Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon — authorities officers, U.S. residents and teachers attended the dinner, hosted by the U.S.-China Enterprise Council and the Nationwide Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

U.S Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo delivered remarks forward of Xi’s handle.

In a roughly 30-minute speech, Xi mentioned China-led worldwide initiatives such because the Belt and Highway are open to U.S. participation, whereas Beijing is able to be a part of U.S.-proposed multilateral cooperation initiatives.

“Regardless of how the worldwide panorama evolves, the historic development of peaceable coexistence between China and the USA won’t change,” Xi mentioned.

Concerning earlier conversations with Biden, Xi mentioned “we agreed to make the cooperation listing longer and the pie of cooperation greater.”

Xi mentioned China is able to invite 50,000 younger Individuals to check within the Asian nation over the subsequent 5 years.

He additionally mentioned China would ship its big pandas to the San Diego Zoo. He didn’t specify a time.

Final week, the remaining three pandas within the U.S. on mortgage from Beijing returned to China as a result of an expiring contract. China has lent pandas to nations world wide as a diplomatic instrument.

Xi’s speech was titled “Galvanizing Our Peoples right into a Robust Pressure For the Reason for China-U.S. Friendship.”

“It’s mistaken to view China, which is dedicated to peaceable improvement, as a menace and thus play a zero-sum recreation in opposition to it,” Xi mentioned. “China by no means bets in opposition to the USA, and by no means interferes in its inside affairs.”

“China has no intention to problem the USA or to unseat it. As an alternative, we shall be glad to see a assured, open, ever-growing and affluent United States,” he mentioned. “Likewise, the USA mustn’t wager in opposition to China, or intrude in China’s inside affairs. It ought to as an alternative welcome a peaceable, steady and affluent China.”

— CNBC’s Christina Wilkie and Eamon Javers contributed to this report.

Correction: The abstract and key factors have been up to date to precisely mirror that Xi’s dinner with U.S. enterprise executives happened on Wednesday evening in San Francisco.