Chinese dictator Xi Jinping extended his congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday, along with his hopes for an improved U.S.-China relationship during the second Trump administration.
“History tells us that both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. A China-U.S. relationship with stable, healthy and sustainable development serves the common interests of the two countries and meets the expectations of the international community,” said a statement from Xi’s office.
The statement hoped both China and the U.S. would embrace “principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” the latter being one of China’s favorite political buzz phrases.
The statement concluded by hoping the two governments would “enhance dialogue and communication” so they can “find the right way” to “get along with each other in the new era.”
China’s state-run Xinhua news service on Thursday said Xi reiterated this message in a personal note to Trump.
“A stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship is in the common interests of the two countries and the expectations of the international community,” Xi reportedly said in his note.
Xi was among the last high-ranking Chinese officials to send Trump a congratulatory note, having been preceded by messages from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng. Xi’s vice-president Han Zheng also extended congratulations to Trump’s running mate, Vice President-elect JD Vance.
According to Ambassador Xie, Xi called Trump to offer his congratulations and told him China and the U.S. “gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”
The Chinese government’s official position toward the U.S. presidential election was complete neutrality, but U.S. intelligence agencies say China was very active in meddling in the election, as were Russia and Iran. Trump has threatened to raise tariffs against Chinese imports, especially if China attacks Taiwan.
Trump has spoken often of having a good personal relationship with Xi Jinping, who he called “smart, brilliant,” and “everything perfect” in a 2023 town hall appearance, even as Trump is ferociously critical of China as a strategic and economic adversary of the United States.
“I had a very strong relationship with him,” Trump said of Xi last month. “He was actually a really good, I don’t want to say friend – I don’t want to act foolish, ‘he was my friend’ – but I got along with him great. He’s a very fierce person.”
