Chinese Ambassador to the United States: The original aspiration of the Chinese and American peoples for friendship has not changed

Washington, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in the United States held a "Pickball Night" event on May 30. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said in his speech that from table tennis to badminton, what has changed is the racket, but what remains unchanged is the original aspiration of the two peoples for friendship.

That evening, Xie Feng gathered with teachers, students, parents, and other members of the American Youth Pickball delegation to revisit the beautiful journey of Chinese and American youth from "making friends through football" to "communicating with each other through heart".

Xie Feng stated in his speech that half a century ago, the small ping-pong ball built a bridge of communication across the Pacific Ocean. Today's Pickball is drawing a beautiful arc for cultural exchanges between China and the United States in the new era. China and the United States are like two sides on a football field, they not only need to compete according to rules, but also need to understand mutual respect. He said that competition is inevitable, but it should be a positive competition of chasing after each other, a fair competition of obeying rules, and a benign competition of mutual improvement, with the aim of achieving a better version of oneself. This rational understanding of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation is not only the logic of understanding the way of great power relations, but also the key to overcoming the "Thucydides Trap".

Xie Feng emphasized that although there are differences in history, culture, social systems, and development paths between China and the United States, these differences are not a reason for opposition, but rather an opportunity for exchange and a driving force for cooperation. Both parties need to continuously expand the cooperation list and shorten the problem list. We hope that the US and China will move towards each other and implement the summit consensus as soon as possible.

Xie Feng hopes that the youth of both countries will focus on global challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence, public health, and food security, and actively practice the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, based on the present and looking to the future.

Xie Feng said that currently, China US relations are at a new historical starting point, and we need to promote stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China US relations.