黄屏总领事在纪念尼克松总统访华暨中美《上海公报》 发表50周年研讨会上的发言

Speech by Chinese Consul General Huang Ping at the Online Symposium to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of President Nixon’s Visit to China and the Issuance of Shanghai Communiqué

2022年3月1日

1 March 2022

各位与会嘉宾：

Dear friends,

感谢大家出席今天的研讨会并分享对中美关系的看法。50年前尼克松总统访华和中美发表《上海公报》具有开拓性意义，不仅开启了两国关系新篇章，也重塑了国际政治版图。回首那段历史，我们必须向中美两国老一辈领导人非凡的战略眼光和高超的外交艺术致敬。

Thank you all for joining our discussion and sharing your perspectives on China-U.S. relations. President Nixon’s trip to China and the Shanghai Communiqué issued 50 years ago are of trailblazing significance. It opened a new chapter in the bilateral relations and reshaped the international geopolitical map. Looking back, we must pay tribute to the elder generation of Chinese and American leaders for their extraordinary strategic foresight and high art of diplomacy.

50年前中美关系“破冰”，是基于两国共同利益的明智之举。上世纪70年代初，中国正处于文革混乱时期，同苏联关系日益紧张，同西方国家总体相互隔绝。在太平洋彼岸，深陷越战泥潭的美国国内反战浪潮此起彼伏，在冷战中相对苏联的优势渐趋缩少。中美互有所需，相互走近也在情理之中。正如尼克松总统访华时所说，他是为美国利益而来。“让我们走到一起的不是我们共同的信念，而是我们共同的利益和共同的希望。”

The re-engagement between China and the U.S. 50 years ago was a rational decision based on our common interests. In the 1970s, China was in the chaotic period of the Cultural Revolution. Relations between China and the Soviet Union had become increasingly tense, and China remained largely isolated from the western countries. Across the Pacific, the U.S. was mired in the Vietnam war and its advantage over the Soviet Union in the Cold War was eroded. Waves of anti-war movements swept the whole country. China and the U.S. needed each other and the interactions between the two countries were natural. As President Nixon said during his visit, he had come for US interests. “It is not our common beliefs that have brought us together here, but our common interests and our common hopes.”

50年前中美关系“破冰”，是展现两国相互尊重的典范之作。当时中美之间的分歧远超今天，但双方尊重彼此分歧，突出两国共同利益，在一些重大问题上达成原则性共识，开创国际关系新范例。双方发表的《上海公报》没有掩盖分歧，包括在中美关系中最重要、最敏感的台湾问题。同时《上海公报》确立了两国应遵守“一个中国”原则，这为中美关系正常化奠定了基础。之后，中美《建交公报》和《八·一七公报》都遵循了这一原则。50年来，“一个中国”原则始终是中美关系的政治基础，也是维护台海和平稳定的关键所在。

The re-engagement between China and the U.S. 50 years ago was the best example to show mutual respect. At that time, the differences between us were far greater than they are today. But the two sides showed respect for their differences, affirmed the common ground between the two countries and reached principled agreements on some major issues, creating a new style in international relations. The Shanghai Communiqué, issued during President Nixon’s visit, did not cover up the differences between the two sides, but truthfully listed the statements of both sides, especially on Taiwan question, the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations. The “Shanghai Communiqué” established that the two countries should abide by the “one China” principle, which provided the basis for the normalization of China-U.S. relations. After that, The Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and the August 17 Communiqué both followed this principle. For the past 50 years, the “one China” principle has always been the political foundation of China-U.S. relations. It’s also the key to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

50年前中美关系“破冰”，给两国和世界人民带来巨大福祉。伴随中美关系发展，过去几十年两国各领域交流合作稳步推进。双边贸易额从几乎为零攀升至每年超过7500亿美元，人员往来从寥寥无几增长到每年超过500万人次。从全球范围看，半个世纪来世界得以保持总体和平稳定，特别是亚太地区得以实现持续发展，也得益于1972年开启的中美互动。

The re-engagement between China and the U.S. 50 years ago has brought great benefits to the people of both countries and the world at large. With the development of China-U.S. relations, exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields have developed steadily in the past decades. The bilateral trade volume has risen from almost zero to more than 750 billion US dollars per year, and personnel exchanges have increased from few to more than 5 million people per year. From a global perspective, the past half century of peace and stability in the world, particularly the sustained development of the Asia-Pacific region, can also be attributed to the China-U.S. interactions since 1972.

50年后，中美两国关系再次走到十字路口，何去何从备受关注。正如习近平主席在与拜登总统视频会晤时所讲，过去50年，国际关系中一个最重要的事件就是中美关系恢复和发展；未来50年，国际关系中最重要的事情是中美必须找到正确的相处之道。历史是过去的一面镜子，也是当下最好的老师。值此关键时刻，我们有必要回顾历史，总结经验，展望未来。1972年中美关系“破冰”留给我们最重要的财富，就是中美必须始终聚焦两国共同利益，以灵活务实的态度妥处矛盾分歧，本着相互尊重、和平共处、合作共赢的原则推动两国关系稳定发展。

Fifty years later, China-U.S. relations have once again reached a crossroad, and where it will go has attracted much attention. As President Xi Jinping said during the virtual meeting with President Biden, the most important event in international relations over the past 50 years was the reopening and development of China-U.S. relations. The most important event in international relations in the coming 50 years will be for China and the U.S. to find the right way to get along. History is a mirror of the past and the best teacher for the present. At this critical moment, it is necessary for us to learn from history and guide the future. The most important wealth left to us from the 1972 re-engagement is that China and the U.S. must always focus on the common interests of the two countries, put aside disputes and differences with a flexible and pragmatic attitude, and deal with their relations in the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

北京冬奥会刚刚结束，就像运动员一样，中美两国存在竞争关系，但高于竞争的是人性与友谊。中美人民友谊一直是两国关系发展的源泉。希望两国各界友人再接再厉，为中美交流合作牵线搭桥，共同助力中美关系在历史的汪洋中披荆斩棘、扬帆远航。

The Beijing Winter Olympics have just concluded. Just like athletes, China and the U.S. have a competitive relationship, but human nature and friendship are higher than the competitive relationship. The friendship between the Chinese and American people has always been the source of the development of China-U.S. relations. I hope all of our friends from both countries could continue to build bridges for our exchanges and cooperation, and contribute to China-U.S. relations tiding the waters and sailing ahead steadily in the ocean of history.