新华网北京2月13日电 在对美国进行正式访问前夕，国家副主席习近平2月12日接受了美国《华盛顿邮报》书面采访，就中美关系、中美经贸合作、两国地方和人民交往、中美在亚太的关系、双方在国际地区及全球性问题上的合作等提问作了回答。

　　在回答40年来中美关系发展历程的问题时，习近平表示，40年前，中国和美国两国领导人以政治家的超凡智慧和远见卓识推开尘封多年的中美交往大门。40年来，中美关系虽然历经风雨，但始终向前发展，取得历史性成就，给两国和两国人民带来巨大利益。中美关系成为当今世界最重要、最富活力和最具潜力的双边关系之一。

　　习近平指出，记得1985年我首次访问美国时，两国贸易额仅77亿美元，人员往来大概1万人次左右。去年，两国贸易额已突破4400亿美元，人员往来超过300万人次。

　　习近平强调，40年的历史告诉我们，中美关系健康稳定发展对两国至关重要，对亚太地区乃至世界的和平、稳定、繁荣至关重要。胡锦涛主席去年1月访美期间，两国元首就共同致力于建设相互尊重、互利共赢合作伙伴关系达成共识。这充分体现了新时期中美关系的特点与要求，那就是在相互尊重原则基础上开展互利共赢的中美伙伴合作。

　　关于中美经贸合作，习近平指出，中美经贸关系的本质是互利共赢。中美建交以来，两国贸易额增长180多倍。过去10年，美国对华出口累计增长468%，为美国增加了300多万个就业岗位。美国50个州中有47个州对华出口增幅达到3位数甚至4位数。中国产品为美国消费者节省了6000多亿美元。中国美国商会去年一项调查显示，2010年，在华美资企业85%收入增长，41%在华利润率超过全球平均利润率。美对华投资有力带动了对华出口增长，加快了美产业升级，促进了美国内经济发展。

　　习近平表示，在经济全球化深入发展的今天，中美经贸关系已高度相互依存。假如这种关系不是互利双赢、对美国也带来巨大好处，就不可能持续、快速发展。绝大多数了解中美经贸关系实际情况的美国人、包括美工商界人士对此是很清楚的。

　　习近平强调，中美经贸交往过程中，难免出现一些摩擦和分歧。重要的是，双方要通过平等互利、互谅互让的协调，妥善处理分歧，不能让摩擦和分歧干扰整个中美经贸合作大局。

　　习近平表示，我们已经并将继续采取积极措施解决美方在知识产权保护、贸易不平衡等问题上的合理关切，将继续推进人民币汇率形成机制改革，还会一如既往地为来华投资者提供公平、规范、透明的投资环境。同时，希望美方在放宽高技术产品对华出口管制、为中国企业赴美投资提供公平竞争环境等方面也能尽快采取实质性步骤。

　　关于中美在亚太的关系，习近平表示，亚太地区是中美利益交汇最集中的地区。近年来，中美在亚太经合组织、东盟地区论坛框架下密切协调，就区域经济一体化、反恐、防扩散、打击跨国犯罪、防灾减灾、减贫以及有关地区热点问题加强沟通与合作，有力维护和促进了亚太的和平与繁荣。

　　习近平强调，当前亚太国家最关心的是保持经济繁荣、维护经济增长和区域合作势头。在人心思安定、人心思发展之际，人为地突出军事安全议程，刻意加强军事部署、强化军事同盟，恐怕并不是本地区绝大多数国家希望看到的。

　　习近平指出，宽广的太平洋两岸有足够空间容纳中美两个大国。我们欢迎美国为本地区和平、稳定、繁荣发挥建设性作用，同时希望美方充分尊重和照顾亚太各国的重大利益与合理关切。

　　关于双方在国际地区及全球性问题上的合作，习近平表示，近年来，中美在推动解决重大国际和地区问题、共同应对全球性挑战方面开展了有效协调与合作，充实和丰富了中美关系内涵，巩固和扩大了中美关系的战略基础。双方同舟共济，与其它国家一道，携手应对国际金融危机，推动世界经济复苏；协调哥本哈根、坎昆、德班气候变化会议达成共识；推进朝鲜半岛无核化和六方会谈进程；反对中东任何国家发展和拥有核武器，维护地区和平与安全。两国还就阿富汗、南亚、苏丹、中东等热点问题开展有效沟通。

　　习近平强调，当前，国际金融危机、欧债危机的负面影响仍在蔓延，地区热点问题此起彼伏，非传统安全与传统安全威胁相互交织。在新形势下，中美尤其要加强沟通、协调与合作，为维护和促进世界和平、稳定与发展共同发挥建设性、负责任的作用。

　　关于两国地方和人民交往对中美关系的意义，习近平表示，两国人民之间的相互了解和友谊是中美关系发展的坚实基础和不竭动力。1985年我在河北省工作时曾访问过美国艾奥瓦州，考察当地玉米种植和加工，有几天还住在当地居民家中。美国的先进技术，美国人民的热情友好、勤劳淳朴都给我留下很深的印象，使我亲身感受到两国人民之间加强交往的重要性，也增进了我对中美关系的了解和认识。

　　习近平指出，中美两国都是伟大的国家，两国人民对彼此抱有很大的好感和兴趣，渴望交流互鉴、深化友谊、共谋发展。两国没有理由不友好、不合作。我相信，有16亿人民共同支持的中美关系给世界带来的将是更多和平、繁荣与发展。

以下为外交部提供的习近平接受华盛顿邮报书面采访的英文全文

　　BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping answered written questions from The Washington Post on Sunday in Beijing, prior to his visit to the United States。

　　The following is a transcript of Xi's answers。

　　ON U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS SINCE 1972

　　Forty years ago, leaders of our two countries, with extraordinary wisdom and vision of statesmen, reopened the long-closed door to China-U.S. exchanges. Since then, China-U.S. relations have forged ahead despite some twists and turns and made historic achievements, bringing huge benefits to both countries and peoples. China-U.S. relations have become one of the most important, dynamic and promising bilateral relationships in today’s world. When I visited the United States for the first time in 1985, our bilateral trade was merely US$7.7 billion, and only some 10,000 mutual visits were made each year. Last year, our trade topped US$440 billion, and mutual visits exceeded 3 million。

　　What has happened over the past 40 years tells us that a sound and stable China-U.S. relationship is crucial for both countries and for peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. During President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States in January last year, the two presidents agreed to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. This decision fully captures the features and requirements of China-U.S. relations in the new era, that is, to develop mutually beneficial cooperation as partners based on the principle of mutual respect。

　　ON CHINA-U.S. BUSINESS COOPERATION

　　Mutual benefit is the defining feature of China-U.S. business ties. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-U.S. trade has grown over 180 times. Over the past 10 years, U.S. exports to China have increased by 468 percent and created more than 3 million jobs for the United States. Forty-seven out of the 50 U.S. states have seen three-digit or even four-digit growth in their exports to China. And U.S. consumers have saved over US$600 billion by using Chinese products. A survey conducted by AmChamChina last year shows that 85 percent of the U.S.-invested enterprises in China saw their revenue grow in 2010, and 41 percent of them recorded higher profitability in China than their global average. The U.S. investment in China has boosted U.S. exports to China, accelerated U.S. industrial upgrading, and contributed to the growth of the U.S. economy。

　　As economic globalization gathers momentum, China and the United States have become highly interdependent economically. Such economic relations would not enjoy sustained, rapid growth if they were not based on mutual benefit or if they failed to deliver great benefits to the United States. The Americans who know the real picture of China-U.S. economic relations, including those in the business community, will echo this point。

　　Frictions and differences are hardly avoidable in our economic and trade interactions. What is important is that we properly handle these differences through coordination based on equality, mutual benefit, mutual understanding and mutual accommodation. We must not allow frictions and differences to undermine the larger interests of our business cooperation。

　　We have taken active steps to meet legitimate U.S. concerns over IPR [intellectual-property rights] protection and trade imbalance, and we will continue to do so. We will continue to press ahead with the reform of the RMB [renminbi] exchange rate formation mechanism and offer foreign investors a fair, rule-based and transparent investment environment. At the same time, we hope the United States will take substantive steps as soon as possible to ease restrictions on high-tech exports to China and provide a level playing field for Chinese enterprises to invest in the United States。

　　ON THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

　　China and the United States have more converging interests in the Asia-Pacific region than in anywhere else. In recent years, our two countries have coordinated closely under the framework of APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] Regional Forum, and enhanced communication and cooperation on regional economic integration, counterterrorism, nonproliferation, combating transnational crimes, disaster preparedness and reduction, poverty alleviation and relevant regional hotspot issues, thus giving a strong boost to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific。

　　What the Asia-Pacific countries care most is to maintain economic prosperity and build on the momentum of economic growth and regional cooperation. At a time when people long for peace, stability and development, to deliberately give prominence to the military security agenda, scale up military deployment and strengthen military alliances is not really what most countries in the region hope to see。

　　The vast Pacific Ocean has ample space for China and the United States. We welcome a constructive role by the United States in promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region. We also hope that the United States will fully respect and accommodate the major interests and legitimate concerns of Asia-Pacific countries。

　　ON ECONOMIC AND SECURITY COOPERATION

　　In recent years, China and the United States have conducted effective coordination and cooperation in addressing major international and regional issues and meeting global challenges. This has enriched China-U.S. relations and consolidated and expanded the strategic foundation of the relationship. China and the United States have joined hands and worked together with other countries to counter the international financial crisis and promote global economic recovery. We coordinated positions and worked for consensus at the climate change conferences in Copenhagen, Cancun and Durban. We advanced denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the Six-Party Talks process. We opposed the development and possession of nuclear weapons by any Middle East country in order to maintain regional peace and security. Our two countries have also had effective coordination in addressing such hotspot issues as Afghanistan, South Asia, Sudan and the Middle East。

　　We are at a time when the negative impact of the international financial crisis and the European debt crisis continues to spread, regional hotspot issues crop up from time to time and traditional and nontraditional security threats are intertwined. Under such new circumstances, it is all the more important for China and the United States to communicate, coordinate and cooperate more closely and work together to play a constructive and responsible role in upholding and advancing world peace, stability and development。

　　ON PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES

　　Mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples provides a solid foundation and an inexhaustible driving force for the growth of China-U.S. relations. I visited Iowa in 1985 when I was working in China’s Hebei province. I saw local corn farming and processing and stayed with a local family for a couple of days. I was deeply impressed by America’s advanced technology and the hospitable and industrious American people. That visit drove home to me the importance of closer exchanges between our peoples and gave me a better understanding of China-U.S. relations。

　　China and the United States are two great countries, and the Chinese and American people are well disposed to and interested in each other. We all want to exchange views and learn from each other, deepen friendship and seek common development. There is no reason for our two countries not to engage in friendly cooperation. I am convinced that, with the backing of the 1.6 billion Chinese and American people, our relationship will bring greater peace, prosperity and development to the world。

　　ON SPORTS

　　I like sports, and swimming is my favorite. Doing physical exercises keeps one fit and healthy and helps one work more efficiently. I think we all need to strike a balance between work and relaxation. This can keep us energetic and help us do our job better。

　　NBA games are exciting to watch and have global appeal. They are very popular in China. I do watch NBA games on television when I have time。