On January 25th and 26th, the Counsellors’ Office of the State Council (COSC) and the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars held the Symposium on China-US Relations via video link. Counsellors of the State Council Shi Yinhong, Wang Huiyao and Zhu Guangyao attended and spoke at the symposium. Former US Ambassador to China Stapleton Roy and Director General of COSC Department of International Exchanges and Cooperation Sun Weijia addressed the symposium.

In his address, Director General Sun said that the symposium was of great significance as it was held at the crucial time when the new US administration came into office. After the change of administration in the US, challenges remain in China-US relations, but there have emerged new opportunities. The two sides should strengthen dialogue, focus on cooperation, manage their differences and bring their relations back on the right track.

Ambassador Roy pointed out in his speech that China-US relations stand at a crossroads and enter a new stage as Joe Biden became president. China-US relations are of vital importance for the two peoples and people across the world. He hoped that the two sides will enhance cooperation and dialogue to stabilize the relations and create a more positive future. He also encouraged the experts to have more fruitful discussions.

Chinese and US experts had in-depth exchanges on their understanding and assessment of the current state of China-US relations, restarting dialogue and cooperation, and managing differences.

COSC and the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States have had more than 10 years of exchange and cooperation. Since the MOU was signed in 2009, the two sides have held 10 symposiums on various topics including the new model of major-country relations, sci-tech innovation and culture, China-US cooperation in the context of the Belt and Road, global governance, and China-US relations. In so doing, they have made positive contributions to increase mutual understanding, galvanize policy actions in both countries, and jointly tackle major global and regional issues.