On November 20, 2023, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng attended the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) — Chicago 2023 Annual Gala upon invitation and delivered a keynote speech, in which he elaborated on the significance and important outcomes of the China-U.S. summit meeting in San Francisco.

Ambassador Xie said that President Xi Jinping visited San Francisco a few days ago at the invitation of President Joe Biden for a China-U.S. summit meeting and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. The visit is of special significance, producing fruitful outcomes and attracting worldwide attention. It is a highlight in the China-U.S. relationship this year, a milestone in the history of bilateral relations, and also a major event in international relations.

The visit helped to put in place the pillars for China-U.S. relations. The two Presidents had a candid, comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views on strategic and overarching issues critical to the direction of China-U.S. relations. President Xi pointed out that for China and the United States, turning our back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other. Any conflict and confrontation would have unbearable consequences for both sides. The right approach is to respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation. China is committed to having a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship with the United States. At the same time, we have interests that must be safeguarded, principles that must be upheld, and red lines that must not be crossed.

The visit fostered a future-oriented San Francisco vision. The journey from Bali to San Francisco has not been an easy one. But San Francisco should not be the finish line. President Xi emphasized that China and the United States need to jointly develop a right perception toward each other, jointly manage disagreements effectively, jointly advance mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly shoulder responsibilities as major countries, and jointly promote people-to-people exchanges. These are the five pillars that have laid out a roadmap for the sound, steady and sustained growth of China-U.S. relations.

The visit reached more than 20 important deliverables in multiple areas, including: establishing government talks on AI and launching the Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s; setting up a working group on counternarcotics cooperation with the U.S. side lifting its sanction on relevant Chinese institutions; agreeing to work toward a significant further increase in scheduled passenger flights early next year; in terms of principles related to China-U.S. relations, stressing the importance of all countries treating each other with respect and finding a way to live alongside each other peacefully, and of maintaining open lines of communication, preventing conflict, upholding the U.N. Charter, cooperating in areas of shared interest, and responsibly managing competitive aspects of the relationship.

The visit also renewed the goodwill between the two peoples. At the welcome dinner hosted by friendly organizations in the United States, President Xi fondly recounted his friendship with the American people. His old friends in the United States, including those from Iowa who have known him for more than four decades, a 103-year-old Flying Tigers veteran, the descendants of General Joseph Stilwell, Kuliang Friends and those from the Washington state, joined him in San Francisco for a heartwarming reunion. An American family, dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, warmly welcomed President Xi, holding up a board with handwritten Chinese characters “Welcome, President Xi! We love you!” All these touching episodes have made us even more confident that the friendship between our peoples will surely weather wind and rain and continue to thrive.

The theme of this annual gala is “Let’s Move Forward”. Nearly 700 people attended the event, including federal senators, congressmen and congresswomen, governors, mayors, former officials, business leaders, experts and scholars from the U.S. side and representatives of Chinese-funded institutions and companies.