President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit to the US, scheduled for autumn this year, will infuse momentum into the new model of major-country relations between the two countries, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday at a press conference.

The undertaking of building the new model for major-country relations is “a pioneering effort” and will not be smooth sailing, said Wang on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People’s Congress.

The two presidents will have another “productive discussion,” which is expected to inject new momentum into building the new model of major-country relations between the two countries, he said. It is a “logical development” because it is in line with the common interests of both countries and the trends of the times.

As long as the two sides show sincerity, buttress the bottom line of no-conflict and no-confrontation and cement the foundation of mutual respect, “can we explore the immense possibility of win-win cooperation between China and the US,” Wang said. “There is a Chinese saying, sincerity can work wonders.”

It is impossible for there to be no disagreements between two large countries like China and the US. “Disagreements will not disappear even after we commit to build a new model of major-country relations,” Wang said.

“But we shouldn’t magnify problems through a microscope, we should instead use a telescope to look ahead to the future and make sure we move forward in the right direction,” he said.

China and the US interact the most in the Asia-Pacific region and the interests of the two intersect the most in the region, said Wang, adding that the building of the new model of major-country relations should begin in the Asia-Pacific region.

“If they work to establish and deepen strategic trust and have positive interactions, the two sides can jointly contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” he said, adding that he believes China and the US have common interests also in cyberspace security. (People’s Daily)

(Compiled by Zeray Hailemariam Abebe)

**********