What they said

You can read Cui’s prepared remarks on the Chinese foreign ministry’s website. And here’s Pottinger’s full speech, transcribed by Inkstone from a video filmed by Sinovision:

Good evening everyone. Distinguished ambassadors, representative Pittenger, ladies, gentlemen, colleagues and friends. It's a great pleasure to be with you all tonight to help celebrate China's National Day. I'm honored by Ambassador Cui’s invitation to say a few words on this festive occasion. And I also want to thank you for that excellent toast, Mr. Ambassador.

The Chinese people really have much to celebrate. When I was a newspaper reporter in China, in the early days of this millennium, there wasn't a day that passed that I wasn't filled with wonder at the velocity of change taking place in your country, or a day when I wasn't impressed by the dynamism and ingenuity and resilience of the Chinese people. Nobody who spent any significant period of time in China walking its streets and touring its historic places, sitting around the table with Chinese friends over Sichuan food and many rounds of baijiu, can fail to be captivated by China. The changes in China and in China's relationship with the world has sped up in the years since I was there. The Trump administration's approach is grounded first in a clear-eyed assessment of US interests and loyalty, of course, to enduring American values. But second, it's also grounded in a deep respect for the Chinese people, for the long path they have walked and for many of the accomplishments that Ambassador Cui just referred to in his good remarks. And of course to their vast potential.

We in the Trump administration have updated our China policy to bring the concept of competition to the forefront. It's right there at the top of the president's national security strategy and this has been cause for much discussion in Washington and, from what I hear, also in China. But to us this was really an example of what Confucius called “rectification of names.” In the Analects, Confucius said that “名不正，则言不顺;言不顺，则事不成” – if names cannot be correct, then language is not in accordance with the truth of things; and if language is not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. And of course I think it's evident to everyone that the United States and China are engaging at some level in competition. To avoid acknowledgment of this fact would be to court misunderstanding and to invite miscalculation. So we've in some sense rectified the framing of our policy to reflect the reality of an evolution in our relationship. But I think that’s OK. For us, in the United States, competition is not a four-letter word. The notion of free and fair competition sits at the core of American democracy and of our market economy. And it is also not incompatible with notions of social harmony. And social harmony among people can't exist without acknowledgment of our competitive instincts. So this is the relationship that we would like to pursue with China. It is one of respectful competitors. We're adapting our game to China’s style of play, just as China has done since the historic opening and restoration of relations between our two countries also four decades ago, right about at the same time that the incredible reform and opening period began. President Trump's concept of a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China also permits incredible opportunities for cooperation between our countries.

Based upon our own history and the principles that our forefathers established for what is the world's oldest democracy, the United States is confident that we have the adaptive power to continue competing in championship form. Likewise, we deeply respect that China and the Chinese people have the sense of history and destiny to compete in center court, just as the name of your country really implies. So with warm respect for all of your accomplishments and all that is possible in the future, our warmest congratulations on your national day. “国庆节快乐” [Happy National Day]

Thank you.

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