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by Xinhua writer Liu Chang
BEIJING, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- With Donald Trump ready to take over as U.S. president, many are having worries about the future of China-U.S. relations as a result of Trumps's rhetoric on China during his presidential campaign.
Trump promised to carry forward the U.S.-China relationship in a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
China-U.S. relations need to rest on solid mutual trust and respect, vibrant economic and trade cooperation, and a firm belief that the two great powers can co-exist peacefully and help maintain global peace and stability.
As President Xi has pointed out in his talks Friday with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the two sides should have a correct understanding of each other's strategic intentions, abandon the zero-sum mentality, respect each other and promote mutually beneficial cooperation.
Trump needs to know that Beijing can be a cooperative partner in the Asia-Pacific and beyond provided that Washington respects China's right for peaceful development, as well as its core interests including the issues of Taiwan and the South China sea.
As a matter of fact, the China-U.S. relations, despite some twists and turns, have reached a level of stability and maturity.
China has become the largest trading partner of the United States, while the United States is the second-largest trading partner of China.
The two sides have also managed to solve their differences and strengthen mutual understanding through a host of institutionalized dialogue mechanisms.
On global affairs, the two governments have championed efforts to combat climate change and worked together to handle many of the most pressing security problems, like the Iranian nuclear issue.
The lodestar that has over the years guided the world's most important bilateral relationship is that the two parties are willing to look beyond their differences for the advancement of their shared interests.
China and the United States are not destined rivals. They can be partners for peace if they do not veer off this course.
