The world community also expects a continuously improved and expanded China-US relationship. Good China-US cooperation will serve as a ballast stone for global stability and a booster for world peace.

    - Comments made by Xi Jinping during a meeting with U.S. President Obama, June 7, 2013

"Ballast Stones" and "Boosters"

-- Working together to safeguard global peace and stability

Xi Jinping has made frequent reference to "ballast stones" and "boosters" when discussing foreign relations. On February 14, 2012, while still vice president, he attended a forum for Chinese and American entrepreneurs as part of his visit to the United States. He told the attendees, "Strengthened economic and trade ties function as 'ballast stones' and 'boosters' in bilateral relations." On January 25, 2013, during a meeting with Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's New Komeito Party, Xi Jinping said: "The facts have proven that the four political documents between our two countries have been the ballast stone in Sino-Japanese relations. We should continue to abide by them."

In the past, ships often had to sail with empty cargo holds. After cargo was unloaded, the ship's center of gravity rose above the water level, which made it easier for the ship to capsize. In order to stay uptight, the ship would carry ballast stones that could be dumped when the ship took on more cargo. While modern, ocean-going freighters usually sail with full cargo holds, they still need to carry "ballast stones." No longer composed of real stones, the modern-day equivalent is forged out of cast iron to fit a universal standard. In Chinese, "ballast stone" is often used to describe a guarantee that will facilitate healthy progress and development.

A "booster" is a technical term for a propulsion device that is used during launches. Boosters are rocket engines that help guided missiles and spacecraft take off quickly and accelerate to a predetermined flight speed. A "booster" is a common term that is used to describe a key factor that takes on the role of promoting and spurring development. Development requires "ballast stones" to maintain stability, but it also needs "boosters" to push it forward and advance.

Xi Jinping has used "ballast stones" and "boosters" to illustrate the importance of economic and trade ties in the development of Sino-American relations. They are the foundation of stability and the driving force pushing for greater development in bilateral relations. Xi Jinping has also used these metaphors to describe the important role that friendship and cooperation between China and the United States play in facilitating world peace and development. China and the United States are committed to cooperation not confrontation. This is not only the basis for safeguarding global stability, but also the impetus for promoting world peace and development.

Xi Jinping also uses "ballast stones" to illustrate the special importance of the "four political documents" in developing Sino- Japanese relations. The "four political documents" are: the Joint Communique on the Normalization of Diplomatic Relations between China and Japan, which was issued when the two countries resumed diplomatic relations in 1972; the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, which was signed in 1978; the China-Japan Joint Declaration, which was issued in 1998; and the Joint Statement on Promoting a Mutually Beneficial Relationship Based on Common Strategic Interests, which was issued in 2008. These four political documents respect history, acknowledge Japanese aggression against China, and recognize disputes about territorial issues between the two countries. These documents are not only the "ballast stones" that maintain friendly relations between China and Japan; they are the "boosters" that drive Sino-Japanese relations forward. Adherence to these four political documents can safeguard and promote the development of bilateral relations; however, a failure to comply with them would undermine Sino-Japanese relations.

The clever use of metaphors when speaking "Chinese" to foreigners is a hallmark of Xi Jinping's linguistic style. Here, he used "ballast stones" and "boosters" to illustrate the basic ideas, principles, and positions that China abides by when conducting foreign relations. These metaphors are concise and vivid, yet simple and easy to understand.

(An excerpt from XI JINPING: WIT AND VISION -- SELECTED QUOTATIONS AND COMMENTARY, published by FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRESS in 2015)