China, U.S. have obligation to pursue dialogue and cooperation, no reason for conflict or confrontation: Ambassador Xie Feng

(ECNS) -- China and the United States have every obligation to pursue dialogue and cooperation, and no single reason for conflict or confrontation, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said Wednesday in a speech at the reception marking the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) held in Washington.

He noted that under the current situation, as the world's two largest economies, permanent members of the UN Security Council, and nuclear-weapon states, China and the United States share a special and important responsibility for maintaining world peace and stability and advancing global development and prosperity.

It needs to be noted that the stabilizing and improving momentum in China-U.S. relations has not come easily, and should be doubly cherished, the ambassador said, adding that the most important thing now is to take concrete actions to faithfully implement the common understandings reached between the two presidents, translate the new vision of a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability into real actions, and keep expanding the list for cooperation while shortening the list of problems.

Xie stressed that China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests. Taiwan, democracy and human rights, path and system, and development rights are China's four red lines, which should not be challenged."

"'Taiwan independence' and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. We hope the U.S. side will adhere to the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. Joint Communiqués, and exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question," he said.

Both history and reality have proven time and again that the world is large enough for China and the U.S. to develop respectively and thrive together. Facing so many challenges during our times, it is all the more important for China and the U.S. to live up to our shared responsibility for the global good, the ambassador said.

"At this new historical starting point, we hope the U.S. side will work with us in the same direction to advance international cooperation through our constructive interactions, and promote world peace with bilateral strategic stability, so as to jointly explore a right way to get along in the new era based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, and make new contributions to human peace and development," Xie added.

(By Zhang Dongfang)