China and the United States are not strategic adversaries but important partners, and cooperation is in the best interests of both countries, said the Chinese Consul General in San Francisco, Wang Donghua, in a signed editorial published on Jan. 17.

The year 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S.

“Over the last four decades, China and the U.S. have made historic progress in advancing their relations and cooperation, delivering enormous benefits to our two countries and peoples, and contributing greatly to world peace and prosperity,” Wang said in an article which was carried by the Seattle Times, a major newspaper in the western U.S. state of Washington.

Wang noted that in a world of economic globalization and increased uncertainty, China and the U.S. have more common interests than ever and need to strengthen their cooperation rather than weaken it.

“Cooperation will make them stronger, while confrontation will leave them both weakened,” he said.

Wang used Boeing as an example of one of the many companies that have benefited from opportunities generated by China’s economic growth.

Wang said it took more than 40 years for Boeing to deliver its first batch of 1,000 airplanes to China, but only five years to provide the second batch of the same number, a testimony to the fact that the market, including air services, has been expanding rapidly in China alongside its economic development.

“Today, China is the largest export market for Boeing aircraft and soybeans, and the second largest export market for U.S. automobiles, integrated circuit products and cotton,” Wang said.

It is predicted that in the next 15 years, imports of goods and services in China will exceed $30 trillion and $10 trillion, respectively. In the next 20 years, China will require 7,690 passenger aircraft to meet demand.

This prediction means more opportunity for countries that have set their sights on China’s growth, which Wang suggests is partly down to its cooperation with the U.S.

However, the U.S. and China have been locked in trade disputes since last year, when the U.S. government slapped punitive tariffs on Chinese exports to America, forcing China to retaliate.

The tariffs imposed on China’s exports to the U.S. have had adverse results on many American companies, Boeing included, Wang said.

Wang noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump had a successful meeting at the recent G-20 summit, and reached important agreements for a relationship based on coordination, cooperation, and stability.

The danger of trade frictions escalating further has been prevented, but Wang notes that as the raised tariffs are still in effect, pains are still being felt in many U.S. industries.

“There is still a lot to do before the trade cooperation between the two countries returns to normal,” he said.