Peace, development, win-win cooperation trends of the times

At a moment when much of the international system appears trapped between geopolitical fragmentation and economic uncertainty, US President Donald Trump's three-day state visit to China starting on Wednesday offers something fundamental: a chance for the world to consider what kind of diplomacy effectively answers the call of the times.

China's answer is diplomacy that upholds the principles of peace, development and win-win cooperation.

Beijing's foreign-policy vocabulary, such as mutual respect, equity, shared benefits, common development and peaceful coexistence, reflects its perspective that peace, development and win-win cooperation are the unstoppable trends of the times.

The world is suffering from multiple deficits simultaneously: a deficit of development, as inequality widens between and within nations; a deficit of peace, as wars and proxy conflicts proliferate; a deficit of governance, as international institutions struggle to keep pace with technological and geopolitical change; and perhaps most dangerously, a deficit of trust.

Looking back at history, each era has produced its own dominant diplomatic philosophy.

The Westphalian system established sovereign equality as the organizing principle of international relations. The multilateralism and economic interdependence of the post-1945 order arose from the ashes of World War II.

The Cold War era, by contrast, was largely governed by ideological rivalry and bloc confrontation.

Today's world faces a complex set of challenges: climate change, technological disruption, uneven development and distrust between major powers.

That reality helps explain why China's emphasis on communication and the managing of differences resonates with so many countries. Peace, development and win-win cooperation benefit all countries. These principles answer the genuine need for an international framework that privileges coexistence over confrontation and shared growth over zero-sum rivalry.

Modern international relations were not built on the fantasy of absolute victory. The Westphalian system rested on a simpler insight: sovereign states must coexist despite profound differences. Stability depended not on uniformity, but on mutual recognition.

The post-1945 international order deepened that logic. The United Nations system, imperfect though it remains, was founded on the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, multilateral cooperation and peaceful dispute resolution. Its central lesson was painfully earned: attempts to secure absolute security for some produce insecurity for others.

That is why China's principled emphasis on mutual understanding, fair global governance, shared security and inclusive development as set out in the global initiatives it has put forward have been welcomed by so many countries across the world.

The diplomatic framework of Beijing aligns with a broad international desire for stability over confrontation and development over ideological crusades.

Meanwhile, the development of China provides other economies, including the United States, with opportunities. The commitment to innovation and opening-up enshrined in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) indicates that China will continue to share its development dividends with the world.

Despite the divisive attempts of some forces, the world's two largest economies remain deeply intertwined and the two countries are still interconnected and globally consequential in science and technology. The global challenges of climate change, artificial intelligence governance, financial stability, supply chain stability and the energy transition cannot be meaningfully addressed without cooperation and coordination between China and the US.

Both countries understand this, as does the rest of the world. In these turbulent times, the world is looking for reassurance that cooperation remains not only possible but more importantly necessary between the two countries, as the stable and healthy development of Sino-US relations serves the common interests and expectations of the international community.

The choice facing Washington is cooperation grounded in communication or competition driven by miscalculation. The world looks to it to answer the call of the times with a reciprocal commitment to peace, development and win-win cooperation.