On February 3, 2026, the “Prelude to the Spring Festival · The World Watches the CMG Gala Together” U.S. event commemorating the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. ping-pong diplomacy was held in Tacoma, Washington. In his remarks, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said it is important to follow the guidance of heads-of-state diplomacy and keep China-U.S. relations on the right track. In 2025, President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump spoke on the phone four times, exchanged several letters, and held a successful summit in Busan, the Republic of Korea, recalibrating the course of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations at crucial moments. The coming year could see a series of high-level interactions between the two countries. The two sides need to work together to create an enabling atmosphere, deliver more outcomes, and further stabilize and advance China-U.S. relations at the strategic level.

Ambassador Xie said it is important to properly manage differences and remove obstacles to the development of bilateral relations. The common interests between our two countries far outweigh our differences. We should not allow differences to define our relations, nor should we let sensitive issues disrupt the overall relationship. The U.S. side should respect China’s core interests and major concerns. The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests, and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. The U.S. side should abide by the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. Joint Communiques with real action.

Ambassador Xie also noted it is important to actively expand mutually beneficial cooperation and provide stronger momentum for developing bilateral relations. Mutual benefit is the essence of China-U.S. relations. In the past year, our economic and trade teams held five rounds of consultations, and reached extensive common understandings on addressing prominent issues in economy and trade. This has proven once again that dialogue is better than confrontation. This year marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. As we take solid steps to pursue Chinese modernization, it will bring greater opportunities and benefits to all countries, including the U.S. Our two countries can further tap into the potential of cooperation and encourage partnerships in areas such as economy and trade, combating illegal immigrants, telecom fraud and money laundering, artificial intelligence, and healthcare.