Xi: Exchanges play vital role

陈小将

President Xi Jinping delivers a speech on Wednesday evening at a welcome dinner jointly hosted by friendly organizations in San Francisco, the United States. RAO AIMIN/XINHUA
Door of China-US ties cannot be shut again once opened, says president

President Xi Jinping underlined on Wednesday the significance of people-to-people exchanges in bolstering ties between China and the United States, while addressing a welcome dinner jointly hosted by friendly organizations in San Francisco.

He said at the event, attended by 400 guests, including US business leaders and citizens committed to China-US friendship, that it is wrong to view China, which is committed to peaceful development, as a threat and thus play a zero-sum game against it.

"China never bets against the United States, and never interferes in its internal affairs. China has no intention to challenge the United States or to unseat it. Instead, China will be glad to see a confident, open and ever-growing United States," he told the guests, who included Sarah Lande, an old friend who had welcomed Xi twice to the state of Iowa, and Harry Moyer, a 103-year-old Flying Tigers veteran.

Likewise, the US should not bet against China or interfere in China's internal affairs, and it should instead welcome a peaceful, stable and prosperous China, the president said.

"The foundation of China-US relations was laid by our peoples," Xi said, emphasizing that "the door of China-US relations was opened by our peoples", "the stories of China-US relations are written by our peoples" and "the future of China-US relations will be created by our peoples".

"We should build more bridges and pave more roads for people-to-people interactions. We must not erect barriers or create a chilling effect," he said.

Xi said he was convinced the door of China-US relations cannot be shut again once opened, and the cause of China-US friendship cannot be derailed halfway once started.