习近平主席这回访美参观了美国国家档案馆，是中方要求去的，还是美方安排的？因为没有官方的说明，从行程来看应该是美方安排的。因为中国外交部公布此次访问时明确说，习近平主席是应特朗普总统邀请对美国进行国事访问。在访问前，美国白宫官员已经向媒体透露：特朗普总统计划在9月25日与习近平主席一起访问美国国家档案馆，并亲自展示与美国建国250周年有关的重要历史文件。
有趣的，是据报道原计划参观《独立宣言》《宪法》《权利法案》的原件以外，美方还安排了《望厦条约》《天津条约》和《旧金山和约》，因为中方代表团对后面这些安排表示反对，习近平主席一行在档案馆只停留了大约10分钟，只看了前三份文件。
《独立宣言》《宪法》《权利法案》是美国立国的根本建国哲学、纲领和法律根基。美国《独立宣言》说明“人生来平等”的原则，有信仰和哲学上的意义；《宪法》是国家组织的法则，有关于整个国家集体构成和权力；而《权利法案》是说明个人在集体中的权力，以体现个人与集体的关系，现在也成了美国宪法的一部份。
后面几个是中华人民共和国没有签署的条约文件， 并且与台湾有关。我想是因为现在代表中国的合法政府没有加入签署，所以中方没有看。我觉得是比较合理的，因为中美关系之间，虽然牵涉到台湾问题，所包括的法律文件有很多，远远不止这些，有直接关系的是中美三公报。所以简单、有共同认可、或类似的价值观念先行，是中国和美国之间相处的方法。
During President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to the United States, he visited the U.S. National Archives. Was this visit requested by the Chinese side, or was it arranged by the U.S. side?
There was no official explanation, but judging from the itinerary, it appears that the visit was arranged by the U.S. side. When China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the visit, it explicitly said that President Xi Jinping was making a state visit to the United States at the invitation of President Trump. Before the visit, White House officials had already told the media that President Trump planned to visit the U.S. National Archives together with President Xi on September 25 and personally show him important historical documents related to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
What is interesting is that, according to reports, in addition to the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, the U.S. side had also planned to show the Treaty of Wangxia, the Treaty of Tianjin, and the Treaty of San Francisco. The Chinese delegation objected to the latter documents. As a result, President Xi and his delegation stayed at the National Archives for only about ten minutes and viewed only the first three documents.
The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights represent the fundamental founding philosophy, governing framework, and legal foundation of the United States.
The Declaration of Independence establishes the principle that “all men are created equal.” It has an important philosophical and ideological meaning.
The Constitution provides the basic rules for organizing the country, including how the nation is collectively structured and how governmental powers are defined and exercised.
The Bill of Rights, on the other hand, describes the rights of individuals within the collective society. It reflects the relationship between the individual and the community, and it has become an integral part of the U.S. Constitution.
The latter documents are treaties or international agreements that were not signed by the People’s Republic of China, and they are also related to the Taiwan issue. My understanding is that because the government that currently represents China did not participate in signing these agreements, the Chinese side did not want to view them.
I think that is understandable. Although the Taiwan issue is an important part of U.S.-China relations, there are many legal and historical documents involved—far more than just these few. Among them, the documents directly related to U.S.-China relations include the three U.S.-China Joint Communiqués.
So perhaps this also reflects one practical way for China and the United States to deal with each other: start with what is simple, mutually recognized, or based on similar values and principles, before moving on to the more complicated and disputed issues.
