On the evening of July 25, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held a reception to celebrate the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China. Ambassador Xie Feng and his wife, Minster Jing Quan, Defense Attaché Major General Liu Zhan and more than 300 guests attended the reception, including U.S. government and military officials, friends from various sectors, diplomats and military attachés of other countries, and representatives of overseas Chinese communities and Chinese institutions in the United States.

In his remarks, Ambassador Xie said that the world today has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. China firmly stands on the side of peace, dialogue and cooperation. A China committed to peaceful development adds stability to a turbulent world, a China pursuing common security offers its solutions to security challenges, and a China actively promoting talks for peace lives up to its responsibilities as a major country.

Ambassador Xie pointed out that a generally stable China-U.S. relationship is indispensable to the peaceful development of the world. It is hoped that the U.S. side will work with China in the same direction, in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. It is important to value peace and put a floor of no conflict or confrontation under the relationship, prioritize stability and avoid setting the relationship back or crossing the line, and uphold credibility and step up exchanges and cooperation, so as to stabilize and move forward China-U.S. relations.

Major General Liu Zhan said in his remarks that China believes in common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. We pursue a defense policy that is defensive in nature, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and strive to provide more public security goods to the international community. The gradual resumption of mil-to-mil exchanges between China and the United States serves the common interests of both sides and meets the expectation of the international community. China will stay committed to acting on the common understandings between the two Presidents, and buildinga mil-to-mil relationship free from conflict and confrontation, featuring open and practical cooperation and growing mutual trust.

The guests expressed warm congratulations on the 97th anniversary of the founding of the PLA and its great achievements over the past 97 years. They also offered their best wishes for the sound and stable development of the relations between China and the United States and the two militaries.