Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said Wednesday in Washington D.C. that the world needs China and the United States to work together more than ever before.

Speaking at the reception for the 40th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and the Chinese New Year, Cui said as the world is undergoing profound changes, it needs both China and the United States to work together.

"New global challenges keep coming up. More than ever before, the world needs China and the United States to work together," Cui said.

"Our people need us to work together. As our common interests grow, we should continue to expand and deepen our cooperation on the basis of the achievements of the last four decades," Cui said.

Cui said the 40-year-old China-U.S. relationship has brought the two countries closer on a number of regional and global issues, such as overcoming the global financial crisis and finding a political solution to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

"No better option" for China, U.S. than cooperation

"The past 40 years have proved that cooperation is in the interests of both countries while confrontation hurts both," Cui Tiankai said, adding "there is no better option for us than cooperation."

Cui highlighted the progress both countries have made over the past four decades, saying "China and the U.S. have interacted on such an extensive scale and influenced each other in so many ways that each is stronger and better than it would be otherwise."

According to Cui, daily trade between the two countries is worth more than 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. More than 14,000 people fly between the two countries every day for work, study and leisure. There are now 50 pairs of sister states/provinces and 227 pairs of sister cities between the two countries.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Matt Pottinger and a number of members of Congress attended the event.

"Decoupling" of China, U.S. disastrous for world economy

Cui Tiankai warned that the so-called "decoupling" of China and the United States would be disastrous for both economies and the world economy at large.

China will open its door wider to the United States and look forward to more cooperation at various levels, Cui said.

Cui urged both countries to remain open to each other and become more connected instead.

"We are the two largest economies in the world. Each has its own strengths. Each is complementary to the other. Both have much greater opportunities if we stay open to each other. Both will be much more prosperous if we cooperate with each other," Cui said.

Cui also extended an invitation to the United States to participate in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which will be held in China in April this year.

China, U.S. need to properly handle differences

Addressing the reception for the 40th Anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and the Chinese New Year at the Chinese embassy, Cui acknowledged the differences between China and the United States in history, culture and social system, but said both countries should "not be intimidated by those differences."

"We need to respect each other's independent choice of social systems and paths of development, and accommodate each other's core interests and concerns," Cui said.

"Whether on economic or security issues, we can always find a way out if we address the differences with candor and good faith, based on mutual respect and common interest," Cui said.

Cui also called on the two countries to promote mutual understanding, staying open to each other and becoming more connected, while stepping up people-to-people exchanges and enhancing popular support for those relations.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Matt Pottinger, a number of members of Congress and about 750 guests attended the event.

The People's Republic of China and the United States formally established ties on Jan. 1, 1979. Over the past four decades, the progress of China-U.S. ties is nothing but staggering, far exceeding most people's expectations.

Bilateral trade grew from a negligible 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in the late 1970s to over 580 billion dollars in 2017, while the stock of two-way investment rose from practically nil to more than 230 billion dollars.

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