Ambassador: China prepares Trump "state visit plus"

Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, answering questions from reporters in Washington, DC on October 30, 2017 about an impending visit to China by US President Donald Trump. [Photo: China Plus/Liu Kun]

China's Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, has suggested that setting a positive tone for future China-US relations should be the key agenda item for US President Donald Trump's upcoming China visit.

Trump prepares to make a 12-day visit to five Asian nations, including China, from November 8th to 10th.

The Chinese Ambassador says Beijing is ready to give Trump a "State Visit Plus."

Cui Tiankai says he expects President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to discuss the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, as well as China-US trade relations.

However, Cui says the China side wants to set a positive tone for the future development of bilateral ties as the top priority.

"For us, since this is President Trump's first state visit to China, also a second meeting between him and President Xi Jinping, the most important thing is to define the future development direction of China-US relations and to set a positive tone for it. In this way, our relations will be able to move forward on a healthy and stable track. And on the basis of such a healthy and stable track, our cooperation on specific issues, or the management of our differences will be more effective."

Cui Tiankai has also described relations with the United States as the priority for China's foreign policy.

He says the Chinese side is ready to give Donald Trump a "State Visit Plus," saying that apart from the usual protocols, the Chinese side wants to ensure that Trump and Xi Jinping have a lot of face-time together.

Speaking about the timing of Trump's visit, Cui Tiankai suggests it comes at a historic moment, as the now-concluded 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party has made a clear plan for China's foreign policy for years to come.

"The 19th National Party Congress has reiterated our policy of pursuing peaceful development, carrying out an opening-up strategy featuring mutual benefits and win-win results, finding the converging points of common interests with other countries, and strengthening cooperation with major countries. This historical background has provided a good foundation for President Trump's visit."

Cui also says that instead of creating competition, China's development model should prove to the world that different nations are entitled to adopt modes of development suitable to their own conditions.

"The significance of so-called 'China model' is that it shows the world that development does not necessarily come from the same model. Every country should find their own development path that is suitable to their national conditions, which means different countries can have their own ways. If there is such a thing as 'China model', this is where its meaning lies. In Chinese we have a saying 'harmony with differences'. The world should be harmonious but that is based on the acknowledgement of diversity. "

Cui Tiankai also suggests the Chinese side is open to US participation in the "Belt and Road" initiative, saying there is room for the US to work with China through the "Belt and Road" concept.

For more on Trump's upcoming visit, our Washington Correspondent Liu Kun earlier sat down with David Dollar, senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution. 

David Dollar, senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution. [Photo: China Plus]