The President:
It is a great pleasure to welcome President Xi
back to the United States. Of course,
my visit to China in 2009, and I got to welcome him
to the Oval Office last year when he was still
vice president, and a guest of
Vice President Biden. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
I think some of you
may know that President Xi is no stranger to
the United States. He's remembered fondly in Iowa where he once visited
and stayed with a local family. And on his trip last year, he had a chance to
come to California, including I understand
going to a Lakers game, which I was very jealous of. (laughter) Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
Our decision to meet so early I think signifies
the importance -- It's important not only for the
prosperity of our two countries and the security
of our two countries, but it's also important
for the Asia Pacific region and important for the world. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
And the importance
of this relationship in some ways is reflected with
the somewhat unusual setting that we're hosting
the president in. Our thought was that we
would have the opportunity for a more extended and
more informal conversation in which we were able
to share both our visions for our respective countries, and how we can forge a new model
of cooperation between countries based on mutual interest
and mutual respect. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
I think both of us
agree that continuous, and candid, and constructive
conversation and communication is critically important to
shaping our relationship for years to come. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
And for my part, this
will give me the opportunity to re-iterate how
the United States welcomes the continuing peaceful rise
of China as a world power, and that in fact it is in
the United States' interest that China continues
on the path of success because we believe
that a peaceful, and stable, and prosperous China is not only good for Chinese, but also good for the world
and for the United States. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
Of course it's two
of the largest economies in the world. We're going to have a healthy
economic competition, but we also have a
whole range of challenges on which we have to cooperate, from North Korea's nuclear
and missile programs to proliferation to
issues like climate change. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
And the United States
seeks an international economy, and an international
economic order where nations are
playing by the same rules, where trade is free and fair, and where the United States
and China work together to address issues
like cyber security and the protection of
intellectual property. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
In addition to the strategic
concerns that we share, and the economic challenges
that each of our countries face, I will continue to
emphasize the importance of human rights. President Xi spoke of a nation
and a people that are committed to continuous self-improvement
and progress, and history shows that
upholding universal rights are ultimately a key to
success and prosperity and justice for all nations. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) The President:
So I want to again
welcome President Xi to the United States. We're very glad
that he's here. Inevitably, there
are areas of tension between our two countries, but what I've learned
over the last four years is both the Chinese people
and the American people want a strong,
cooperative relationship. And that I think there's
a strong recognition on the part of both
President Xi and myself that it is very
much in our interests to work together to meet the
global challenges that we face. And I'm very much
looking forward to this being
a strong foundation for the kind of new
model of cooperation that we can establish
for years to come. So, welcome and
thank you very much. Interpreter: (speaks Chinese) President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
Honorable President Obama, it's my great
pleasure to meet you. We're meeting with
each other earlier than people might have expected. They thought that
we might have to wait until the St. Petersburg G20 Summit
to meet with each other, but here we are. I want to thank you
for your invitation, and it's my great
pleasure to meet you here at the Sunnylands,
the Annenberg Estate. President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
This is a wonderful place. A place of sunshine, and it's
very close to the Pacific Ocean. And on the other side
of the ocean is China. President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
When I visited
the United States last year, I stated that the vast
Pacific Ocean has enough space for the two large countries of
China and the United States. I still believe so. President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
And, Mr. President,
we're meeting here today to chart the future
of China-U.S. relations, and draw a blueprint
for this relationship, and continue our cooperation
across the Pacific Ocean. President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
And this reminds us of what
happened over 40 years ago when the leaders of China
and the United States, with the strategists,
political courage and wisdom, realized a handshake
across the Pacific Ocean, and it reopened the
door of exchanges between China and
the United States. And in the more than
40 years since then, the China-U.S. relationship has
gone through winds and rains, and it made historical progress. And our two peoples, and people
elsewhere in the world have reaped huge
benefits from this. President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
And at present, the China-U.S.
relationship has reached a new historical starting point. Our two countries have vast
convergence of shared interests from promoting our respective
economic growth at home, to ensuring the sustainability
of the global economy, from addressing international
and regional hotspot issues, to dealing with all kinds
of global challenges. On all these issues,
our two countries need to increase exchanges
and cooperation. President Xi: (speaks Chinese} President Xi (as interpreted):
And under the new environment, we need to take a close look
at our bilateral relationship. What kind of China-U.S.
relationship do we both want? What type of cooperation can
our two nations carry out for mutual benefit? And how can our two nations
join together to promote peace and development in the world? These are things that not just
the people in our two countries are watching closely, but the whole world is
watching very closely. President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
Both sides should proceed from
the fundamental interests of our peoples and bear in mind
human development and progress. We need to think creatively
and act energetically so that working together, we can build a new model of
major country relationship. President Xi: (speaks Chinese) President Xi (as interpreted):
President Obama, I look forward
to having in-depth communication with you on major strategic
issues of common interest, to deepen our mutual
understanding, and push forward
around corporation. I'm confident that our meeting
will achieve positive outcomes, and inject fresh momentum into to the China-U.S. relationship. The President:
Thank you very much, everybody.
