What changed
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said China-US relations will remain difficult, but urged both sides toward cooperation, limited competition, controlled differences and peace. He was speaking at the National Committee on United States-China Relations’ 60th-anniversary and 2026 awards dinner in New York on November 10, attended by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and about 450 people.
Xie also pointed to Xi Jinping and Donald Trump making state visits to each other’s countries within six months. He described the year as historically significant and said both governments had agreed to pursue a constructive strategic-stability relationship based on respect, fairness and equality.
Why it matters
The speech sets out an ambition for managing rivalry rather than eliminating it. That distinction matters: cooperation is presented as the main direction, but competition and disagreements are expected to remain part of the relationship.
The most consequential language is also the least concrete. Xie described the framework, but no timing or implementation details were given, and the remarks did not announce a new bilateral agreement or policy change.
Our reading is that this is a diplomatic signal of persistence, not a breakthrough. The message is that difficult relations should still be steered toward stability, with the recent presidential visits serving as evidence that engagement remains possible. Whether that approach changes conduct between Beijing and Washington will depend on what follows beyond the dinner’s carefully chosen language.
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