On the evening of January16, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held a reception celebrating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States and the 2024 Chinese New Year. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng attended the reception and delivered remarks. Over 700 Chinese and American guests from various communities participated in the event, including U.S. Director of National Drug Control Policy Rahul Gupta, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, White House National Security Council Senior Director for China Affairs Sarah Beran, President of U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) Craig Allen, President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) Stephen Orlins, Chairman of Special Olympics International Board of Directors Timothy Shriver, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Li Bo, Managing Director of the World Bank Yang Shaolin, former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, former United States Trade Representative Carla Hills, former Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee, diplomatic envoys from other countries, and representatives of the Chinese community and Chinese institutions in the United States.

Ambassador Xie warmly welcomed all the guests, paid tribute to successive leaders of both countries who have advanced China-U.S. relations, and extended heartfelt thanks and New Year greetings to people from various communities who have long cared for and supported the development of China-U.S. relations.

Ambassador Xie said that on the very first day of this year, President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden exchanged congratulatory letters on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of our bilateral relations. The two heads of state attached great importance to the historic significance of the event, spoke highly of the achievements in China-U.S. relations over the past 45 years, and expressed readiness to continue to stabilize and develop the relationship. Over the past 45 years, the China-U.S. relationship has kept forging ahead amid twists and turns, to the benefit of both countries and the world. There are several important inspirations: First, for China and the United States, turning our back on each other is not an option. Dialogue and win-win cooperation should be our common goal. The China-U.S. relationship has grown into the most important bilateral relationship in the world. We are cooperating in more areas than ever, with unprecedentedly intertwined interests and far-reaching influence. Decoupling between us will not work, and will produce no winner. Second, it is unrealistic for one side to try to remodel the other. Respecting each other and seeking common ground while reserving differences is the prerequisite. China will not become another United States. We have no intention to challenge the United States or to unseat it, still less will we interfere with U.S. internal affairs. China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States. Likewise, we hope the United States will also respect China’s development path and core interests, and respect the right of the Chinese people to pursue a better life. Third, conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides. Coexisting in peace and managing differences is the basic principle.

Ambassador Xie stressed that the Taiwan question is the most important, sensitive and explosive question in China-U.S. relations. Without stability across the Taiwan Strait, the China-U.S. relationship would be on shaky ground. It is stated in black and white in the Communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations that “The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan.” “The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.” The Taiwan region held elections a few days ago. No matter how the situation on the island may unfold, it will not change the fact that there is but one China in the world and that Taiwan is part of China; it will not change the prevailing consensus among the international community on the one-China principle; nor will it change the historical trend that China will realize reunification and Taiwan will return to its motherland. Maintaining peace and stability across the Strait serves the best interests of both China and the United States. To achieve this, the most important guardrails are the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, and the most pressing task is to curb the “Taiwan independence” forces, which pose the fundamental menace to peace and stability in the Strait.

Ambassador Xie said that the China-U.S. relationship over the past 45 years has left an indelible chapter in international relations, and the hope of its future lies in our two peoples. The historic summit meeting between President Xi and President Biden in San Francisco fostered a future-oriented San Francisco vision, and charted the course for exploring the right way to get along in the new era.

It is important to act with a sense of responsibility for history, draw inspiration from the past, and keep to the right direction of China-U.S. relations. The top priority now is to follow up on the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, turn the San Francisco vision into reality, and promote the sound, stable and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations with concrete actions. The two sides also need to learn lessons from history, stay vigilant against a new “Cold War”, the resurgence of McCarthyism and the repetition of the Oppenheimer-era tragedy. We need to oppose attempts to overstretch the concept of national security, politicize economic and scientific issues, demonize people-to-people exchanges, or weaponize our interdependence.

It is important to act with a sense of responsibility for the people, and do more things that will bring them tangible benefits. The two sides need to enhance cooperation in counternarcotics, law enforcement, economy and trade, agriculture, public health and other areas, open up new arenas of cooperation and foster new growth drivers in digital economy and low-carbon development, level the playing field for each other’s enterprises, make the pie of mutually beneficial cooperation bigger, and further remove obstacles to people-to-people exchanges in flights, visa policy and border entry.

It is also important to act with a sense of responsibility for the world, and provide more stability and certainty. We need to envision our relationship with the future of humanity and the Earth in mind, rise above the zero-sum mentality, and move in the same direction to make the world a better place. We need to strengthen communication and coordination on hotspots like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis as well as global challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence, and provide more public goods conducive to world peace and development. Let’s have a race to the top, and compete to do a better job in running our country, contribute more to the world, and deliver more benefits to peoples around the globe.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink conveyed the message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which noted that since 1979, the U.S.-China relationship has become one of the most consequential in the world. This relationship is shaping history today, as it has for decades. Both sides understand the need for direct and candid engagement to explore potential cooperation, manage our differences, and ensure that competition does not veer into conflict. Last year, the two sides made significant efforts to restore high-level diplomacy and open channels of communication, to reduce risk of miscalculation and misperception, and to make progress on tangible issues that matter to our peoples as well as to people around the world.

In his own remarks, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink said that last month, the two leaders exchange New Year greetings and letters recognizing the 45th anniversary of relations between the two countries. President Biden said that the U.S.-China relationship has promoted prosperity and opportunity in both countries and around the world. As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of bilateral relations and usher in the Year of the Dragon, let us work together to renew our commitment to responsibly manage the U.S.-China relationship, sustain high-level interaction, follow through on the implementation and build on the foundation set in Woodside for the benefit of our two peoples and people around the world.

NCUSCR President Stephen Orlins and USCBC President Craig Allen reviewed the process of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and paid tribute to the older generation of Chinese and American leaders who made the historic decision with extraordinary political courage and vision. President Orlins cited in both Chinese and English Mr. Deng Xiaoping’s words while visiting the United States in 1979 -- “The normalization of Sino-American relations is a victory for both the American and Chinese people, because it supports the common aspirations and interests of the two people in promoting world peace and stability”, emphasizing the significance of U.S.-China relations for both the two countries and the world. President Allen cited President Xi’s important statement about deepening reform and opening up across the board in the 2024 New Year message, and expressed his expectation for China’s further opening-up. He said that the U.S. business community will continue to support both governments in developing the bilateral relationship for the good of both peoples.

Former U.S. ambassadors to China, including J. Stapleton Roy, Joseph Prueher, Clark T. Randt, Jon Huntsman, Gary Locke, Max Baucus and Terry Branstad, sent messages to the event and extended their warm congratulations on the 45th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and their New Year greetings to the Chinese people. The ambassadors reviewed the process of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and their personal experience in China. They noted that the U.S.-China relationship has grown into the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Decisions made by the two countries will affect the well-being of the two peoples and people throughout the world. The two countries are capable of reversing negative trends in the relationship and working together to create a better future. The fact that the United States and China have differences is hardly surprising considering our different national circumstances, histories, cultures and development paths, but the important thing is to show goodwill, communicate honestly, manage differences, and expand cooperation so as to seek peace, stability and prosperity for both peoples, and to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, non-proliferation, counterterrorism, public health, etc. The summit in San Francisco is a good beginning, which set the stage for cooperation and trust between the two countries. Both sides have a profound obligation to find the right way to get along with each other and make greater progress in the new year.

Connie and Dell Sweeris, who personally participated in ping-pong diplomacy, delivered a video speech. They said that ping-pong diplomacy opened the door for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and the normalization of U.S.-China relations. They also expressed their hope that the relationship will get stronger, and that the two peoples will become closer to each other. American youth representative Madeleine Wonneberger shared her stories of studying Chinese at school, going to China’s Yunnan province to explore local folk customs and culture, and taking courses about Chinese language, history and culture at college. She expressed her desire to serve as a bridge between the two cultures and encouraged more American youth to go to China to learn Chinese, make friends, and fulfill themselves.

Overseas Chinese artist Mei Jiayong and American singer Mary Millben respectively led the singing of the American and the Chinese national anthem. The Washington Chinese Traditional Orchestra presented the Ensemble Spring Festival Overture, expressing best wishes for the upcoming Year of the Dragon with Soaring Dragon, Leaping Tiger and Blooming Flowers Under Full Moon. It also played the American song Take Me Home, Country Roads, evoking the historical moment of Mr. Deng Xiaoping’s visit to the United States 45 years ago. Principal first violin of Washington National Opera Kayla Moffett, Professor of the Catholic University of America and cellist Zhang Dan, and pianist Elizabeth G. Hill performed the piano trio Liangzhu (The Butterfly Lovers), which vividly demonstrated the charm of the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet. Chinese pianist Zhang Haochen played Chasse-neige and Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon, creating a crystal world of whirling snow and a serene scene of a clear moon-lit night with colorful clouds. American Mezzo-soprano Carla Canales and pianist Elizabeth G. Hill presented Habanera from Carmen and I Love You China, which brought the atmosphere to a climax.

During the reception, the guests watched the themed video “Forge Ahead Amid Twists and Turns to Explore the Right Way to Get Along”, revisiting the historical moments since the ice-breaking and establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, as well as the unforgettable journey from Bali to San Francisco. The first episode of the fifth “My China Album” video series “Philadelphia Orchestra -- Always Side by Side” was publicly presented for the first time, showcasing the profound friendship between China and the United States spanning more than half a century through the story of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The reception lasted nearly 4 hours. The Embassy was lit up, and guests from all walks of life savored Chinese delicacies, tried on the traditional Hanfu and renewed friendship in a warm, friendly and joyous atmosphere. They expressed their expectations for the Chinese lunar New Year and their best wishes for China-U.S. relations. They saw it as a privilege to be part of the celebrations of the 45th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations, a historic moment for both countries, and expressed their hope that the China-U.S. relationship will continue to improve and develop in the new year, to the benefit of both peoples and the world at large.