WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States "should not go for misunderstanding, misjudgment, conflict or confrontation," and the wrong beliefs on China-U.S. relations were absurd and dangerous, said Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang on Tuesday.

"We should not miss historical opportunities. More importantly, we should not make historical mistakes," Qin said in his speech at the Welcome Event by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) Board of Directors.

"As two major countries with different political systems, cultures and development stages, we must find a way to get along in peace based on mutual respect," he said.

First, the two sides should be clear about each other's bottom lines and show mutual respect, said the ambassador.

"They are all about China's core interests. The Chinese side also put forward 'two lists' to the U.S. side: a list of U.S. wrongdoings and a list of individual cases of China's concerns. The lists are symptoms, and the bottom lines point to the root causes," said Qin.

He hoped that the U.S. side will exercise caution on issues concerning Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and the South China Sea, respect China's sovereignty, security and development interests, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and avoid touching or challenging China's red line.

Second, the two sides should maintain dialogue and manage differences, the ambassador said.

The two countries need to strengthen communication between the departments of foreign affairs, economy, finance, law enforcement and the military, rebuild related dialogue mechanisms, and properly manage and handle differences in a constructive way, he said.

Third, the two sides should remove disturbances and focus on cooperation, said Qin.

"At the bilateral level and on global issues such as climate change, we can build up small steps and address easier problems first, so as to find the entry point to improve our relations and expand cooperation," he said.

Qin also refuted those wrong beliefs on China. "Some people believe that China is betting against America, and China's goal is to challenge and displace America. This is a serious misjudgment of China's strategic intention," he said.

Everything the Communist Party of China (CPC) does is for the purpose of meeting the people's aspiration for a better life, he said.

"China never bets its own future on other countries. We only want to surpass ourselves. We never take surpassing the U.S. as our goal, and we never have the ambition to challenge and displace America, or to seek hegemony in the world," he said.

The ambassador said some people believe that America needs to deal with China from a position of strength.

"They think America can win the new 'Cold War' against China, just as it defeated the Soviet Union. This reflects a serious ignorance of history and China," he said.

"China is not the Soviet Union," he said. Under the leadership of the CPC, China's socialist democracy keeps improving, and the nation enjoys economic development, social stability and better livelihoods for the people, he added.

"China is closely linked to the U.S. and integrated with the world. China never engages in aggression or expansion. It never exports its political system or development model. It is committed to peaceful, open, cooperative and common development, and works to build a community with a shared future for mankind," said Qin.

Moreover, the ambassador said, "some people believe that cooperation is being phased out by competition and confrontation. This is a very misleading perception for the prospects of China-U.S. relations."

"In fact, the need for China-U.S. cooperation is not decreasing, but increasing. Our two countries should not be enemies, but partners," he said.

Serving as Chinese Ambassador to the United States at this time, Qin said he will enhance communication and dialogue with various sectors of the United States, act as a bridge and bond between the two countries, and work to build a more rational, stable, manageable and constructive China-U.S. relationship.

Members of the NCUSCR Board of Directors extended warm welcome to the ambassador and said the Committee will continue to work to enhance mutual understanding, mutual trust and cooperation between China and the United States, so as to promote the development of constructive relations between the two countries.

Present at the NCUSCR event were former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Chairman of the Board of Directors and former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors and former Trade Representative Carla Hills and President Of the Committee Stephen Orlins. Enditem

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