May 4, 2012

I am very glad to meet with friends from the media. Through your pens and cameras, I want to convey to the Chinese and American people and the international community this message: With the personal commitment and guidance from our presidents, this round of the S&ED has been a success, and China-U.S. relations are moving forward. Now, I will brief you on the discussions in the Strategic Dialogue.

I. During the strategic dialogue, Secretary Hillary Clinton and I focused on the implementation of the agreement between our two presidents and had candid and in-depth discussions on bilateral ties, the international situation, and regional and global issues. We had more and longer private meetings than in the previous rounds. We did not reach agreement on all issues, which is a mission impossible. But we are working in the same direction, i.e. to look for maximum common ground and cooperation possibilities while upholding our respective national interests.

On the sidelines of the dialogue, the two sides held the second Strategic Security Dialogue and break-out sessions on energy security, climate change, Sudan and South Sudan, South Asia, etc. The two sides reached several dozen specific outcomes.

II. During the dialogue, Secretary Clinton and I continued in-depth discussions and reached new common understanding on building a new type of China-U.S. relationship. We hope more Chinese and Americans of all walks of life will follow, support and take part in this endeavor. We agree that both sides should work together for a bright future for the succeeding generations and that we should let facts speak out for our ability to foster this new type of relations between major countries. Both Secretary Clinton and I expressed our readiness to act as construction and maintenance workers for this path.

III. The two sides talked about human rights during the dialogue and have differences in this regard. Since the founding of New China, substantial progress has been made in the human rights cause of China. No country is perfect in this field. China will stay on the right path it has chosen so that the Chinese people will live in greater happiness and with greater dignity and there will be greater justice and harmony in Chinese society. Human rights should not disturb the growth of state-to-state relations. Human rights should not be used as an excuse to interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

Over the recent years, the S&ED, a unique mechanism jointly initiated by President Hu Jintao and President Obama, has served as a good platform for the two countries to deepen understanding, expand common ground, reduce differences, enhance mutual trust and promote cooperation. It has played an important role in promoting sound and steady growth of China-U.S. relations. Round by round, we are having better, more in-depth, more candid and more effective discussions. Going forward, this dialogue mechanism should be strengthened rather than being weakened. It should continue rather than stopping. China stands ready to work with the United States to build, develop and make good use of this mechanism and raise the quality, efficiency and level of dialogue.

IV. To conclude, I wish to sincerely thank our two presidents for their commitment, support and guidance to the S&ED. I want to thank Secretary Clinton and Secretary Timothy Geithner for their effective cooperation, and the Chinese and American teams for their hard work. I also want to thank all those in China and the United States who care about and support the furtherance of China-U.S. relations. I hope you will continue to support S&ED and the growth of China-U.S. relations.

Thank you.

(Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn)