( April 10, 2022  Raleigh, North Carolina )

Good evening, everyone!

It’s been three years since my last visit to North Carolina three years ago. I wish to thank you all, my friends, for giving me such a warm welcome on the first stop of my trip!

For the Chinese, North Carolina is not an unfamiliar name. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the movie Green Book, and to the Research Triangle Park, the icons of North Carolina are well-known names in China. Lieutenant Robert Hoyle Upchurch, who was from High Falls, North Carolina, was a member of the Flying Tigers in the Second World War, and he laid down his life for the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Now, China is North Carolina’s third largest export market and largest source of import. North Carolina knows best how the friendship and cooperation between China and the US have developed along the way.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China. Over the past 50 years, the China-US relationship has registered historic achievements, like a giant ship sailing forward in an ocean. Today, the relationship is faced with complex and severe challenges, just like the ship is going through some hidden shoals against high winds. To brave the wind and forge ahead, or to hang back and doubt its direction, this is a significant choice facing us all. The China-US relationship must and can only go forward. Any stagnation, backsliding of the relationship, or any repeat of the Cold-War conflict and confrontation would bring unbearable costs for both countries and the whole world.

China and the US enjoy intertwined interests and close cooperation. In 2021, the two-way trade bucked the global trend and exceeded $755.6 billion, up by 28.7% and supporting millions of jobs in both countries. Among that, China’s import from the US reached $179.5 billion, up by 32.7%. China is among the top five export destinations for 47 US states. There are over 70,000 American businesses in China, and 97% of them are profitable. More than 300,000 Chinese students are studying in the US, accounting for 1/3 of the total international students in the country. Almost 1/3 of researchers in the US research institutions have received at least part of their education in China. The two sides have established over 280 pairs of sister province/state and city relations. Facts speak louder than words. To decouple or to incite hatred will only cause a lose-lose situation, and this is unacceptable to our people.

 Globally, from fighting terrorism and dealing with regional hotspots, to addressing climate change and delivering post-pandemic recovery, China and the US have maintained close communication and coordination on major challenges concerning world peace and development, and we have got many things done. The world cannot do without China-US cooperation. No country in the world want to choose sides between our two countries. To form any cliques that exclude or encircle China, to create two markets or two systems, and to stoke Cold-War mentality and bloc confrontation will only make the world suffer, and this is unacceptable to the people of the whole world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

How can the ship of China-US relationship sail past the treacherous shoals and return to the right track as soon as possible?

First of all, we need to steer it in the right direction. In his video call with President Joe Biden, President Xi Jinping highlighted the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in developing China-US relations. President Biden responded positively, and reaffirmed that the US does not seek a new Cold War with China; it does not aim to change China’s system; the revitalization of its alliances is not targeted at China; the US does not support “Taiwan independence”; and it has no intention to seek a conflict with China. The important common ground reached by the two Presidents has pointed the direction and provided guidance for the growth of China-US relations.

The most fundamental principle for a stable China-US relationship is respect for each other’s sovereignty, social system and development path. As two major countries different in political system, history, culture and development stage, China and the US should view each other in an objective and rational light. It is nothing unusual for us to have problems, but there should be no groundless speculation or intentional misinterpretation. It is only normal for us to have differences, and they should be properly managed with mutual understanding and mutual accommodation. However big the problem is, it is no big deal when you think of the two peoples’ aspiration for a better life. We should not let prejudice and alarmism control our minds. Instead, we need to make improving the well-being of the two peoples our shared goal.

Second, we need to ensure the ship is fully empowered. China is determined to pursue opening-up of higher standards and share with the world the dividends of its reform and opening-up. China is a vast market. It is expected to import $22 trillion worth of goods in the coming decade, and by 2035, it will have a middle-income group of 800 million people. China will build a more attractive business environment and develop a higher-level open economy. China is committed to innovative development, and is among the best in the world in terms of R&D investment, the number of researchers, and the number of patent applications and grants for inventions. As a champion for green development, China will achieve carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, and this will create new and diverse business forms and markets. China is also working on high-level opening-up of education. The US will remain the first choice for many Chinese students when they decide to study abroad. China also welcomes more American students to study in China. I believe that the youth will be the new force supporting China-US friendship and cooperation.

In fact, cooperation opportunities are everywhere. We need to work together to bring about more exchange and cooperation programs in various fields, and they will empower the ship of China-US relations to forge ahead.

Third, we need to remember that as passengers on the same ship, we sink or swim together. As such, we have no future but a shared future. We must regard each other as partners, not rivals. We must cheer for each other, not undercut each other. Having one’s own way would only keep the ship from advancing; worse still, it may get the ship reversed or capsized. Only by paddling together can we ride the waves and navigate out of choppy waters. So we need to get more people, from all walks of life in both countries, to come on-board and paddle together, of one mind and in one direction.

People at the sub-national level are an important driving force for the development of China-US relations. Take North Carolina as an example. Its goods and services trade with China exceeded $13.9 billion in 2021, accounting for about one-eighth of its total international trade. In the past 30 years, North Carolina's direct investment in China has reached $12.8 billion, and the largest single US investment in China comes from North Carolina: Bank of America, which is headquartered in Charlotte, invested $3 billion to China Construction Bank. By 2021, there were over 5,000 Chinese students in North Carolina, making China the biggest source of international students here. Duke University of North Carolina and Wuhan University established a joint-venture university in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province of China. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the sister relationship between North Carolina and China's Hunan Province. Exchanges and cooperation between North Carolina and many Chinese provinces including Hunan in economy and trade, science and technology, energy, environmental protection and education are very promising.

The Chinese community in the US has played an indispensable role in the growth of China-US relations. You have made generous donations to disaster relief in China. You have helped spread Chinese culture in the US. You have also facilitated cooperation programs between the two countries, and spoken out against unfair treatment of the Chinese in the US. You have proved that people-to-people exchanges will drive China-US relations forward. Act from ourselves, act from little things, and we will realize a win-win result for our two countries.

Ladies and gentlemen,

American writer Scott Fitzgerald said, "So we beat on, boats against the current". The state motto of North Carolina is "To be, rather than to seem". Indeed, at this critical juncture, the ship of China-US relations will fall behind if it is not moving forward. Let’s set the sails, go full speed ahead, and sail the ship of China-US relations together towards better shores.

Thank you!