China’s Global Times, in a September 20 editorial “A China-U.S. Relationship Working in the Same Direction Is a Blessing for the World,” enthusiastically greeted the September 19 phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, endorsing it as a potential new direction for Chinese-U.S. relations.
“On the evening of September 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the phone. The two presidents had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the current state of China-U.S. relations and other issues of mutual interest, and provided strategic guidance for the steady development of China-U.S. relations going forward,” Global Times’ editors wrote.
Global Times quoted President Xi as saying that “China and the U.S. were allies who fought shoulder to shoulder during WWII,” and that President Trump used the words “phenomenal and beautiful” to describe China’s September 3 parade on the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
The daily emphasized: “From trade, economic, science and technology exchanges to cultural interaction, cooperation between China and the U.S. has provided vast markets and development opportunities for each other, delivering tangible benefits to both peoples. Looking globally, the stability of relations between the world’s two largest economies itself directly affects the healthy development of the global economy.”
The discussions started with the matter of tariffs, but broadened significantly as one head-of-state spoke to another head-of-state without filtration: “Over the past few months, under the strategic guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, China-U.S. economic and trade consultations are gradually moving from ‘how to negotiate’ to ‘how to resolve issues,’ and interaction between the two sides has increased significantly. Whenever the Chinese and U.S. heads of state reach important consensus through dialogue, the relationship between the two sides often breaks through the deadlock and returns to the right track under the guidance of the top leaders. Such top-level interaction plays a key role for both sides to stabilize expectations, manage differences, prevent miscalculations, and strengthen cooperation.”
Without overlooking differences, Global Times strongly suggests that a new course of affairs may be emerging: “The course has been charted, but the key lies in action. For the world, this is a valuable signal of stability. For China and the U.S., this is an opportunity to translate political will into concrete action, and to build upon this period of easing tensions into a path toward longer-term stability. Only by ‘working hard and in the same direction’ can China-U.S. relations truly move toward ‘helping each other succeed and prospering together for the good of the two countries and the whole world.’ We hope the U.S. will take concrete measures and work with China to jointly propel these two giant ships forward through the storms and waves.”
