2016年CRI The Pacific Should Foster Cooperation, Not Competition

This year's China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue has opened with a speech from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who suggests the two sides should be working more closely together, rather than -quote- "creating their own circle of friends" in the region.

"The vast Pacific should be a stage for inclusive cooperation, not an arena 1 for competition. China pursues a neighbourhood diplomacy 2 of amity 3, sincerity 4, mutual 5 benefit and inclusiveness, and is committed to advancing peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region. The extensive common interests between China and the US in the Asia-Pacific make it possible for the two countries to keep frequent communication, have more cooperation and jointly 7 respond to challenges. "

The Chinese president has also praised the progress the two sides have made in addressing both bilateral 8 and global issues.

"We have witnessed record highs in trade and two-way investment, enjoy closer people-to-people and sub-national exchanges, and make new headway in cooperation in cyberspace 9, law enforcement and military-to-military exchanges. We issued three joint 6 statements on climate change and worked together with other countries for the conclusion of the historic Paris agreement."

The annual meetings between China and the US first started out as separate economic and strategic exchanges in 2005, but evolved into their current form 8-years ago.

From 2009, a people-to-people exchange component 10 was also added to foster more cultural discussions between the two sides.

The annual talks, which switch back and forth 11 from country to country every year, allow cabinet-level officials and representatives of other agencies to discuss a wide-range of issues both sides face.

These range from broader-based bilateral trade and economic issues, as well as regional and global issues in areas such as energy, climate change and other areas which affect both countries.

But through the years, the sessions have also provided a format 12 where pressing issues between the two sides can be hashed-out.

Previous years have focused on issues such as the value of China's currency, the status of the US economy during the global financial crisis, as well as areas of mutual defense 13 concerns, such as Afghanistan and North Korea.

This year, US Secretary of State John Kerry says one of the issues the US side wants to address is the South China Sea.

"We are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute - the disputes of the South China Sea. We are not a claimant. We have taken no position on any of the claims of any claimant. The only position we've taken is, let's not resolve this by unilateral action, let's resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation 14, and we urge all nations to find a diplomatic solution, rooted in international standards and rule of law."

Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang says while the two sides may have their policy differences, the annual sessions have provided a good platform to ensure that what might be said beyond direct talks doesn't turn into broader-based understandings.

"As an example: Right now, the presidential campaign in the United States is in full swing, and the candidates of both parties are often making economic and trade issues between our two countries an issue. However, we here in China are not overreacting because we are able to get the true picture through this dialogue mechanism 15 so we can avoid misjudgment. Likewise, through dialogue, the United States has gained a deeper understanding of China's reform process, thus reducing its misreading of the economic situation in China."

The economic portion of the talks will wrap up on Tuesday.

Tuesday's sessions will also include the High Level Consultation 16 of People-to-people Exchanges.

It's the cultural exchange aspect of the talks formed 7-years ago, which meant to increase ties among colleges, universities, think tanks and medical institutions.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.