Sentiment between China and the US has been around freezing for years - or well below. The conciliatory tones that President Xi is now striking are surprising. Both countries should work better together.
China's President Xi Jinping has called on the United States to cooperate better. In order to ensure world peace, both countries must "find ways to get along with each other," Xi said, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV. "Today's world is neither peaceful nor quiet." The USA and China must work together to contribute to international stability.
"Strengthening communication and cooperation between China and the United States as world powers will help enhance global stability and security and promote world peace and development," Xi said. According to the information, he expressed himself in a letter to a New York-based non-profit organization to promote cooperation and understanding between the two countries.
According to Xi, China is ready "to work with the US in mutual respect and peaceful coexistence (...) and to find ways to get along with each other in the new era". This would "not only benefit both countries, but the whole world".
Relations between Washington and Beijing have been extremely strained for some time. The reasons for this include different reactions to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the dispute over the status of Taiwan. China regards the democratic, highly industrialized country as a breakaway colony - a claim the US rejects.
It is the declared goal of the US government to become less dependent on Chinese imports, for example in the case of microchips. Most recently, she dealt a severe blow to the Chinese semiconductor industry with export restrictions. At the same time, the USA launched a large subsidy program to boost domestic production. Meanwhile, China is still struggling with the corona pandemic, because of which Xi is sending huge areas into lockdown. That slows down the economy. A real estate crisis is also having a negative impact on development.
In a break with decades-old rules, China's head of state and party leader Xi was appointed last weekend by his party's new central committee for a third five-year term as general secretary. This means that the 69-year-old is likely to be elected president for a third time by the National People's Congress in March. The letter on relations with the United States that has now been published was one of his first official statements since the party conference.
