Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai speaks at a screening of documentary "Better Angels" at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., the United States, on Oct. 30, 2018. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said Tuesday that China and the United States should let their "better angels" enhance the bilateral relationship, especially at a time of doubt. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said Tuesday that China and the United States should let their "better angels" enhance the bilateral relationship, especially at a time of doubt.

Speaking at a screening of documentary "Better Angels" at the National Press Club, Cui said people-to-people exchanges demonstrated in the film provided a firm ground for the China-U.S. relationship.

The term "better angels" came from the inaugural address of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who pleaded that divided northern and southern states should bond rather than split.

"We are not enemies, but friends... Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory... when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature," Lincoln said.

Noting that China and the United States will soon be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Cui said the relationship has come a long way in the past four decades.

"It has made great strides, while also has had its share of setbacks. But every time it risked being stranded, every time its future was cast into doubt, the people of our two countries would be there, quietly but persistently, doing their part, lifting it out of the quagmire, and moving it forward," he said.

Cui acknowledged the current tension between Beijing and Washington but "Thanks to their unremitting efforts, we have been able to rise above differences and ensure the sustained and steady growth of our relations; thanks to their unswerving commitment, we have blazed a trail of win-win cooperation and seen our interests as closely tied as never before." Cui said.

The film "Better Angels" is a documentary directed by award-winning director Malcolm Clarke and produced by U.S. producer William Mundell and award-winning Chinese producer Han Yi. The film features stories of how ordinary Chinese and Americans benefit from a close Sino-U.S. relationship.

The film will hit the big screens in China in December this year and the United States in January next year.