--By Consul-General You Wenze, published on Cape Times, June 29

When Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing, he pointed out that the world is developing and the times are changing.

The world needs a generally stable China-US relationship. Whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity.

Currently, China-US relations are at their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic ties. The root cause of the current difficulties in China-US relations is the wrong perception of China by the US.

The US views China as its “primary rival” and “the most consequential geopolitical challenge”. This is a major strategic misjudgement. There is competition between the two countries in areas such as economy and trade, but there should be no vicious zero-sum competition.

Still less should there be practices to contain or suppress one another in the name of competition and deprive China of its legitimate right to development.

This is not “responsible competition”, but irresponsible bullying. It will only push the two countries towards confrontation and create a divided world.

As the biggest developing country in the world, China is committed to a Chinesepath of modernization. It is a path toward development of China, through which more positive energy will be added to global peace and new opportunities created for global development.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, we have turned China from an impoverished and backward land into the world’s second largest economy, top trader in goods, biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, and biggest manufacturer.

As the primary export market of over 50 countries and regions, and a major trading partner of over 140, Chinawill continue to open wider to the outside world at a high level. Over the past decade, China accounted for more world economic growth on an annual average basis than G7 members combined. IMF predicts that China will contribute 30% to world economic growth in 2023.

The economic structures of China and the US are highly complementary and their interests deeply intertwined. Total trade in goods between China and the US hit a new record in 2022. According to the report, US Exports to China 2023,by the US-China Business Council, over one million American jobs were created by such exports.In the recent five years, the return rate of foreign direct investment in China reached 9.1 percent.

Nearly 90 percent of the over 70,000 American companies doing business in China are earning profits. The American Chamber of Commerce in China has noted that the Chinese market is not an option but a must.

All this speaks to the fact that trade and investment cooperation between China and the US are mutually beneficial and win-win.

Decoupling and cutting off industrial and supply chains benefits no one. It has no support and will not lead anywhere.

President Xi Jinping has pointed out on multiple occasions thatChina-US relations should not be a zero-sum game where one side out-competes or thrives at the expense of the other.

The two sides should form a correct perception of each other’s domestic and foreign policies and strategic intentions, respect each other, coexist in peace, pursue win-win cooperation, and explore the right way to get along with each other. This not only serves the interests of the two peoples but also meets the common aspiration of the international community.

China and the US must develop relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality, respect their difference in history, culture, social system and development path and accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns.

The two sides should deliver on the common understandings reached by President Xi and President Joe Biden in Bali in letter and spirit, and work to stabilize and steer the relations back to the right track.