BEIJING, Dec. 30 -- The latest phone talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, have demonstrated a shared good will to open up a new chapter of a coordinated, cooperative and stable China-U.S. relationship.
The conversation on Saturday boded well for the two countries' ongoing trade consultations, which are of global concern.
Both Xi and Trump stressed the progress made so far in the trade talks while voicing hope for further results that can bring benefits to both sides and the world as well.
The consensuses have not come lightly, and are of profound significance as they can help inject confidence into the markets across the Pacific and around the world.
Recognizing the current China-U.S. ties as important in their conversation, both leaders provided guidelines for the future development of their countries' relationship.
Since the start of the year, the two heads of state have held five phone talks. The consultations, along with their meeting at the Group of 20 Summit in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, earlier this month, have not only helped guide the bilateral ties through critical moments, but also set the tone and direction.
The latest phone call suggested that coordination and cooperation are the common aspiration of the two sides in searching for ways to achieve a generally stable bilateral relationship.
China and the United States are two major countries with global sway. The health of their ties bears enormous global impact.
As China-U.S. relations rode on a bumpy road in 2018, the interactions between the two presidents have played an anchoring role in carrying the development of bilateral ties forward through tough times.
Tuesday will mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries. In the coming year, it's still possible that the two sides would be engaging in hard and complicated trade negotiations.
However, the history of the past four decades has indicated that Beijing and Washington need vision, courage and wisdom to break the impasse and chart the course for the future development of the bilateral relations.
It is hoped that as the two leaders exchanged new year's greetings over the phone, such an auspicious start may bring about a new look for China-U.S. relations.