A roundtable meeting to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States was held in Washington D.C., the United States, on the evening of June 7.

The dignitaries invited to attend the event and deliver speeches were Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, former U.S. Ambassadors to China Winston Lord, J. Stableton Roy, Jon Huntsman and Gary Locke, newly-elected Chair Charlene Barshefsky, Honorary Chair Carla Hills and President Stephen Orlins of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), and U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC) President Craig Allen.

Speaking at the meeting, Xie thanked NCUSCR and USCBC for their longstanding contribution to promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States, and for boosting mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples over the past five decades.

Xie said that the historic significance of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic ties and the important achievements made since then should not be denied, the difficulties and challenges facing China-U.S. relations now should not be underestimated, and the hope and the efforts for stabilizing China-U.S. relations should not be given up.

The two sides should move in the same direction, and explore the right path to get along in the new era based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, so as to jointly stabilize, improve and take China-U.S. relations forward, he said.

Speaking on the same occasion, the four former U.S. Ambassadors to China reviewed their experience of working on China-U.S. relations and serving in China, recounted the historic moments they had participated in, and shared inspirations and lessons they had drawn from the relationship over the past 45 years.

They also put forward suggestions on how to further advance stable, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations.

(Reuters)