On August 31, Ambassador Qin Gang attended the Welcome Event held by National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR) Board of Directors for his assumption of office and delivered a keynote speech. Participants of the event included former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Chairman of the Board of Directors and former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors and former Trade Representative Carla Hills and President Of the Committee Stephen Orlins.

Members of the NCUSCR Board of Directors extended warm welcome to Ambassador Qin and said the Committee will continue to work to enhance mutual understanding, mutual trust and cooperation between China and the United States, so as to promote the development of constructive relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Qin spoke highly of the enduring efforts made by the Committee in promoting China-US relations. Ambassador Qin said, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. Kissinger's secret visit to China and Ping-Pong diplomacy. 50 years ago, at the height of the Cold War, the elder generation of Chinese and American leaders showed great strategic wisdom, vision and courage. They went beyond ideological differences and reopened the door of China-US relations. Over the past five decades, the China-US relations delivered huge benefits to our two peoples and greatly promoted world peace and prosperity. Now the China-US relationship has come to another historical juncture, and it faces a very severe situation. The extreme China policy of the previous US administration has caused serious damage to our relations, and such a situation has not changed. It is even continuing. It goes against the fundamental interests of Chinese and American people and the wishes of the international community.

Ambassador Qin said, some people in the US are trying to deny the achievements of China-US ties in the past 50 years and redefine our relations by strategic competition. They assert that the era of engagement and cooperation is over, and it must be replaced by competition and confrontation. Some people believe that China is betting against America, and China's goal is to challenge and displace America. This is a serious misjudgment of China's strategic intention. Everything the Communist Party of China (CPC) does is for the purpose of meeting the people's aspiration for a better life. China never bets its own future on other countries. We only want to surpass ourselves. We never take surpassing the US as our goal, and we never have the ambition to challenge and displace America, or to seek hegemony in the world. China and the US are inseparable stakeholders, and the success of one side is critical to the other. China does not bet against America. Instead, we are glad to see America resolve its problems by itself, not by undercutting other countries, or by prescribing medication for others.

Ambassador Qin said, some people in the US believe that America needs to deal with China from a position of strength. They think America can win the new "Cold War" against China, just as it defeated the Soviet Union. This reflects a serious ignorance of history and China. China is not the Soviet Union. China has learned from this part of history that hegemonism will only lead to decline. Under the leadership of the CPC, China's socialist democracy keeps improving. The people are the master of their own country. The nation enjoys economic development, social stability and better livelihoods for the people. According to the results, over 90% of the Chinese citizens surveyed are satisfied with their government, and this has been the case for the whole decade.

China is closely linked to the US and integrated with the world. China never engages in aggression or expansion. It never exports its political system or development model. It is committed to peaceful, open, cooperative and common development, and works to build a community with a shared future for mankind. It would be absurd and dangerous to apply the "Cold War playbook" to today's China-US relations, and to take China as its rival and imaginary enemy, just like when Don Quixote tilted at windmills.

Ambassador Qin said, some people in the US believe that cooperation is being phased out by competition and confrontation. This is a very misleading perception for the prospects of China-US relations. In fact, the need for China-US cooperation is not decreasing, but increasing. Our two countries should not be enemies, but partners. The American business community in China value the Chinese market, they are optimistic about the Chinese economy, and they hope to stay in China and expand their investments. They are firmly opposed to the trade war, to decoupling, and to cutting off supplies to Chinese companies. In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union withdrew all the experts and assistance from China. At that time, China was caught up in terrible droughts and dire shortage of food. But we have all made it through. Today, when the US chooses to use state power to bring down Huawei, it can only expect, in the words of many Chinese, not the collapse of Huawei, but the emerging of more companies like Huawei. Currently, COVID-19 is still rapidly spreading worldwide. International terrorism is still active. Climate change has sent a "Code Red" to humanity. Regional hotspots keep surfacing. As two major countries, coordination and cooperation between China and the US become all the more necessary and urgent. This is also the general expectation of the international community.

Ambassador Qin stressed that we should not miss historical opportunities. More importantly, we should not make historical mistakes. Instead, we need to face up to the reality and trend of the times, return to rationality, take a responsible attitude to history, to the two peoples and to the world, and keep to the right direction of China-US relations. China and the US should not go for misunderstanding, misjudgment, conflict or confrontation. As two major countries with different political systems, cultures and development stages, we must find a way to get along in peace based on mutual respect.

The two sides should be clear about each other's bottom lines and show mutual respect. We hope that the US side will attach great importance to and take seriously the "three bottom lines" and "two lists" put forward by the Chinese side. It is hoped that the US side will exercise caution on issues concerning Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Xizang and the South China Sea, respect China's sovereignty, security and development interests, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and avoid touching or challenging China's red line.

The two sides should maintain dialogue and manage differences. We need to follow through on the spirit of the telephone call between President Xi and President Biden, strengthen communication with the US between the departments of foreign affairs, economy, finance, law enforcement and the military, and rebuild dialogue mechanisms. This is to properly manage and handle differences in a constructive way.

The two sides should remove disturbances and focus on cooperation. At the bilateral level and on global issues such as climate change, we can build up small steps and address easier problems first, so as to find the entry point to improve our relations and expand cooperation. At the same time, we need to jointly remove obstacles for cooperation. It is hoped that the US will stop political manipulation on the origins tracing of the virus and stop deliberating and passing China-related bills that will seriously hijack China-US relations.

Ambassador Qin said, there is a long way to go to improve and develop China-US relations. The historical mission of upholding and promoting our relationship in the new era has come to us. Serving as Chinese Ambassador to the US at this time, I will enhance communication and dialogue with various sectors of the US, act as a bridge and bond between the two countries, and work to build a more rational, stable, manageable and constructive China-US relationship. I look forward to working together with the National Committee towards this goal.

Ambassador Qin also exchanged views with the Board members on China-US relations as well as other issues of common interest.