BEIJING, May 14 - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday characterized relations with the United States as taking on a "new positioning" following his summit with President Donald Trump. According to a statement from China's foreign ministry, Xi said both leaders had agreed that a constructive, strategically stable relationship should steer ties over the next three years and beyond.
Xi framed the relationship as one founded chiefly on cooperation, while acknowledging that measured competition has a place within it. The foreign ministry quoted him saying this approach aims for "a normal stability in which differences are controllable, and a lasting stability in which peace can be expected."
In outlining practical areas for deeper engagement, Xi urged both countries to broaden exchanges and cooperation across multiple fields. The ministry's statement listed trade, health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and law enforcement as sectors where expanded collaboration should occur.
At the same time, Xi cautioned that certain flashpoints require careful handling. He singled out the issue of Taiwan - described in the statement as a democratically governed island that China claims, a claim rejected by Taipei - and urged the United States to approach the matter with "utmost caution." The Chinese leader warned that "if handled poorly, the two countries could collide or even enter into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into an extremely dangerous situation."
The foreign ministry's summary of Xi's remarks underscores a dual message: a public push for widened cooperation in specific sectors alongside a stark reminder of the risks tied to sensitive sovereignty disputes. The language used - advocating cooperation as the primary basis but allowing for measured competition - sets parameters for diplomatic and operational interactions between the two governments over the stated time horizon.
Xi's call to widen exchanges across trade, health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people ties, and law enforcement identifies concrete areas where the two sides can pursue practical engagement. Simultaneously, his warning on Taiwan highlights a point of tension that, according to the statement, has the potential to derail the broader relationship if not managed carefully.
The foreign ministry statement provides the official framing of Xi's position following the summit and reiterates the Chinese leadership's stance on both cooperation and caution in dealings with the United States.