On February 28, 2025, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng delivered remarks via video link at the Duke-UNC China Leadership Summit.

Ambassador Xie pointed out that over the past five decades, China and the United States have seen their economies becoming deeply intertwined with one another, and their people visiting each other more often. Bridges one after another have connected the two countries across the Pacific, leaving them deeply interwoven. At the same time, economic and trade cooperation, which serves as a ballast of the relationship, is being rattled by protectionism. People-to-people exchanges are being increasingly strained by a chilling effect. The steady and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations is facing grave challenges. It is more important than ever for the two countries to focus on common interests, and build more bridges for cooperation; to shoulder common responsibility, and build more bridges for peace; and to establish a common vision, and build more bridges for friendship.

Ambassador Xie emphasized that it is both an obligation and a must for China and the U.S., as two major countries, to achieve long-term peaceful coexistence on this planet. It is hoped that the U.S. side will work with China in the same direction, follow through on the common understandings reached between the two heads of state, maintain communication, manage differences and expand cooperation in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, so as to advance the steady, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations. The U.S. side needs to establish a correct perception toward China. The pressing priority is that the U.S. side should earnestly abide by the one-China principle, and properly handle the Taiwan question in accordance with the three Sino-U.S. Joint Communiques.

The summit was co-organized by students from Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over 150 people attended the event, including President and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations David Firestein, Mayor of Durham Leonardo Williams, Executive Director of the U.S. Heartland China Association Min Fan, as well as teachers, students, business leaders, experts and scholars from both countries.