过去几年，中美关系脱离了正常轨道，陷入建交以来最为困难的局面。其根源在于美国前政府出于自身政治需要，对中国的走向和政策作出了严重误判和歪曲解释，借此出台的各种遏制打压行径，给两国关系造成了难以估量的伤害。今天，中美关系要拨乱反正，重回正轨，首先需要打破由各种对华错误认知而人为砌起的高墙，真正客观准确地了解中国、认识中国、读懂中国。

In the past few years, China-U.S. relations deviated from the normal track, and ran into the biggest difficulties since the establishment of diplomatic ties. The root cause was that the previous U.S. administration, out of its own political needs, seriously distorted China's future path and policy, and on that basis, took various measures to suppress and contain China, which inflicted immeasurable damage to bilateral relations. Today, to right the wrongs and bring the relationship back to the right track, the walls of misperceptions must be torn down first to clear the way for knowing, observing, and understanding China as it is.

　　中国是始终坚持并发展人民民主的国家。长期以来，西方国家在民主这个问题上对中国有着严重歪曲误解。实际上，民主并不是少数国家的专利，而是全人类的共同价值。实现民主的形式丰富多彩，没有固定模式，也不存在标准答案。真正的民主必须扎根本国土壤、服务本国人民。中国实行的社会主义民主政治，坚持中国共产党领导、人民当家作主、依法治国三者的有机统一。这是一种全过程的民主，坚持所有重大立法决策都要依照程序、经过民主酝酿，并通过科学、民主决策产生。这是一种最广泛的民主，坚持众人的事情由众人商量，努力找到符合全社会意愿的最大公约数。比如，中国政府在制定“十四五”规划时，注重征求各方意见，仅网上就收集到100多万条意见建议。事实已证明，中国的社会主义民主政治体现了人民的意志、符合中国的国情，得到人民的拥护，为人类政治文明进步作出了独特和重要贡献。

China is a country that always upholds and promotes people's democracy. Over a long time, Western countries have either seriously distorted or misunderstood China on democracy. In fact, democracy is not a patent of a few countries. It is a common value of humanity. There are various ways to realize democracy, and there is no fixed model or standard answer. True democracy must be rooted in the realities of a country and serve its people. The socialist democracy practiced by China upholds the organic unity of the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance. It is a whole-process democracy. Important legislation and policy-making must go through set procedures and extensive discussions, and the final decision must be made on the basis of scientific and democratic deliberations. It is the most representative democracy where people's matters are widely consulted for the greatest common denominator that suits the will of the whole society. For example, when drafting the 14th Five-year Plan, the Chinese government placed importance on the views from various sectors, and collected over one million comments and recommendations from online channels alone. Facts have shown that China's socialist democracy embodies the will of the people and fits the country's realities. It is thus endorsed by the people, and has made special, important contributions to the progress of political civilization of humankind.

　　中国是始终保护并促进人权发展的国家。作为世界上最大的发展中国家，中国奉行以人民为中心的理念，将生存权、发展权作为首要的基本人权，努力促进经济、社会、文化权利和公民政治权利全面协调发展。新中国成立70多年来，中国人均国内生产总值从不到30美元提升到超过1万美元，8亿以上人口实现脱贫，在中华民族几千年历史上首次消灭了绝对贫困。新疆、西藏等少数民族聚居地区更是中国人权进步的典范。过去60多年来，新疆经济总量增长了200多倍，人均生产总值增长了近40倍，人均预期寿命由30岁提高到72岁。在抗击新冠肺炎疫情中，中国全力保障每一个人的生命健康权，不惜一切代价，以最快速度遏制了疫情蔓延，以最大努力提高了治愈率、降低了死亡率，并为社会经济生活迅速恢复提供了保障。

China is a country that is always committed to protecting and promoting human rights. As the largest developing country, China takes a people-centered approach to human rights. We believe that the rights to subsistence and development are basic human rights of paramount importance. At the same time, we strive for comprehensive and coordinated development of economic, social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights. Over the past 70 plus years since the founding of the People's Republic, China's per capita GDP has risen from less than U.S. to over U.S.,000. More than 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty. We have eliminated abject poverty for the first time in China's thousands years of history. Places inhabited by ethnic minorities, such as Xinjiang and Tibet, have stood out as shining examples of China's human rights progress.

In the past 60 years and more, Xinjiang's GDP expanded by over 200 times, with per capita GDP growing by nearly 40 times. And its average life expectancy increased from 30 to 72. In fighting COVID-19, we have made the utmost efforts to protect the right to life and health for each and every Chinese, and at all cost, we have curbed the spread of the virus in the fastest possible speed, and have done our best to raise the cure rate and lower the fatality rate. This has made it possible for the society and the economy to recover quickly.

　　中国是始终珍惜和捍卫世界和平的国家。中国的发展得益于世界和平，又通过自身发展回馈世界和平。过去70多年，我们从未主动挑起过一场战争，从未侵占过别国一寸土地，倡导对话弥合分歧，谈判化解争端。我们无意输出意识形态，不做颠覆任何国家政权的事情，一直坚持走对话而不对抗、结伴而不结盟的国与国交往新路。我们积极参与斡旋热点问题，是承担联合国会费和维和摊款第二位的国家，是安理会常任理事国中派遣维和部队最多的国家。

China is a country that always values and safeguards world peace. China has benefited from world peace in its development, and has contributed to world peace in turn with its development. In the past 70 years and more, we didn't provoke any war or occupy one inch of foreign territory. We seek to settle differences through dialogue and resolve disputes through negotiation. We have no intention to export ideology. Nor do we attempt to overturn the government of any country. We always stay on the new path of state-to-state relations to seek dialogue instead of confrontation and teaming up instead of ganging up. We actively participate in the good offices on hotspot issues. China is the second largest contributor to the UN's regular budget and peacekeeping assessment. It is also the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

　　中国是始终倡导和践行合作共赢的国家。合作共赢是中国对外交往的重要原则。我们坚持正确义利观，真心诚意帮助发展中国家，不附带任何政治条件，不把自己的意志强加于人。我们提出“一带一路”倡议7年多来，与合作伙伴国家货物贸易总额超过了7.8万亿美元，对合作伙伴国家直接投资超过了1100亿美元，为促进当地人民就业、经济发展发挥了重要作用。在世界经济衰退逆风中，中国连续三年主动举办进口博览会，让各国分享中国的市场机遇。当前，中国正在新发展理念指引下，加紧构建以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局，深入推进高水平对外开放，这将为世界各国提供更大市场空间，创造更多发展机遇。

China is a country that always advocates and pursues win-win cooperation. We take win-win cooperation as an important principle in our diplomacy. We believe in shared interests and common good. We help fellow developing countries with sincerity and good faith, and we do not attach political strings or impose our wills. In the past seven years since we launched the Belt and Road Initiative, China's trade in goods with partner countries surpassed U.S..8 trillion, and direct investment in those countries topped U.S.0 billion. All this has been helpful for local employment and economic growth. Despite the global economic recession, China has hosted international import expos for three years to share with other countries the Chinese market opportunities. At the moment, China is following the new development vision, fostering a new development paradigm featuring "dual circulations", with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, and advancing opening-up at a higher level. This means a bigger market and more development opportunities for other countries.

　　中国是始终奉行和维护多边主义的国家。多边主义是中国的坚定选择。今年是新中国恢复联合国合法席位50周年。50年来，我们捍卫联合国宪章的宗旨和原则，支持联合国的权威和应有作用；主张国家不分大小一律平等，坚定推进国际关系民主化。我们从不搞针对特定国家的小圈子，从不在联合国授权外搞单边行动。过去几年，在单边主义、保护主义肆虐之时，中国毫不犹豫地站出来予以抵制，以实际行动维护国际关系基本准则，维护广大发展中国家共同利益。联合国秘书长古特雷斯表示，中国已成为多边主义的最重要支柱和促进世界和平与发展不可或缺、值得信赖的重要力量。

China is a country that always practices and upholds multilateralism. China firmly believes in multilateralism. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China's lawful seat at the United Nations. During these five decades, China has upheld the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, supported the UN in exercising its authority and playing its due role. We believe that all countries are equal, regardless of their size. And we firmly promote greater democracy in international relations. We never seek to form small circles targeted at other countries. We never take actions unilaterally outside the authorization by the UN. When unilateralism and protectionism ran amok in the last few years, China immediately stepped forward to resist the tendency, and took concrete actions to uphold the basic norms of international relations and safeguard the common interests of developing countries. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres put it, China has become a backbone of multilateralism and an indispensable and trustworthy force for world peace and development.

　　对于中国而言，今年是具有划时代意义的一年。我们将迎来中国共产党百年华诞。自1936年埃德加·斯诺访问延安算起，美国人民了解中国共产党至少已有85年了。从中国革命到改革开放，从全面建成小康到全面建设现代化，中国共产党致力于中华民族的千秋伟业，百年恰是风华正茂。我们知道，美国新一届政府正在审视评估对外政策。希望美方的政策制定者能够顺应历史潮流，看清世界大势，摒弃各种偏见，避免无端猜忌，推动对华政策回归理性，实现中美关系健康稳定发展。

China now is in an epoch-making year. We will celebrate the centenary of the CPC. The American people have come to know about the CPC for at least 85 years since Edgar Snow visited Yan'an in 1936. From the revolution years to reform and opening-up, from completing the building of a moderately prosperous society to fully building a modern socialist country, the CPC is always committed to the eternal great cause of the Chinese nation. It is showing even stronger vigor and vitality at its 100th anniversary.

We know that the new U.S. administration is reviewing and assessing its foreign policy. We hope that U.S policy makers will keep pace with the time, see clearly the trend of the world, abandon biases, give up unwarranted suspicions, and move to bring the China policy back to reason to ensure a healthy and steady development of China-U.S. relations.