今天午餐会的主题是“下一步”。中方对下一步该做什么是很清楚的。我奉劝那些认为可以将另一个“广场协议”强加给中国，认为中国会屈服于恐吓、威胁和无端指责的人放弃幻想。与此同时，中方始终致力于在相互尊重的基础上，采取能照顾双方关切的平衡方式，通过严肃、务实和实质性的谈判磋商来解决经贸问题，这个过程必须是能相互释放善意，体现彼此诚信的。通过这样的方式，经贸问题的解决当不至困难如斯。

The topic for lunch is "Next Steps". On what to do next, for China it is very clear. I wish to advise people to give up the illusion that another Plaza Accord could be imposed on China. They should give up the illusion that China will ever give in to intimidation, coercion or groundless accusation. But at the same time, China is always ready to engage in serious, substantive and pragmatic negotiations and consultations to address the economic and trade issues on the basis of mutual respect and a balanced approach to resolve the concerns of both sides. This has to be a process of goodwill for goodwill and good faith for good faith. If we can reach an agreement through this approach, I don't think the current economic and trade issues would be that difficult. 

　　当然，也有很多人关心中美关系何去何从，担心当前局势会对我们两国关系的未来产生影响。存在这样的担忧不是没有道理的。但我满怀信心，只要我们对当今世界的现实有清醒的认识，对两国共同的未来有明确的愿景，我们就可以战胜当前困难，并着眼未来建立一个更加强劲、稳定的中美关系。

　　人们常常谈到“修昔底德陷阱”。我本人也同撰写《必有一战：中美是否能逃脱修昔底德陷阱》一书的作者艾利森教授有过多次很好的交流。我认为很多人对他这本书要传递的主要信息存在误解或误读。在书中，他提到历史上有过16起所谓“新兴崛起大国”对“守成大国”构成挑战和威胁的案例，其中12次以战争和冲突告终，只有4次是以相对和平的方式实现了过渡。因此有人认为，历史上曾经发生过的事情，将在中美两国之间重演。

And of course many people are worried about the impact the current situation would have on the future of our relations and where the China-U.S. relationship is going.

I think they have very good reasons to be worried. But I'm still confident that our two countries would be able to overcome the difficulties and build a strong and steady relationship for the future, as long as we have a clear understanding of today's world, as long as we have a clear vision of our common future. 

People now talk a lot about the so-called "Thucydides Trap". I have had several very long conversations with Prof. Graham Allison, the author of Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? I think the key message in this book has been misread and misinterpreted by so many people. In the book, he mentioned 16 cases in history of the relations between the so-called "rising power" and the "existing power". Out of the 16 cases, 12 ended up in wars and conflicts. Only 4 of them experienced relatively peaceful transitions. So some people believe that what happened in the past would recur between our two countries.