BEIJING (CU)_China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, said on Monday that his country could work together with the United States on a range of issues such as the Coronavirus pandemic and climate change, if the two countries repaired their damaged bilateral relations.
Speaking at a forum sponsored by the foreign ministry, Wang noted that Beijing is willing and prepared to reopen a frank and constructive conversation with Washington after relations between the two countries reached their lowest during the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
“Over the past few years, the United States basically cut off bilateral dialogue at all levels,” he said. “We stand ready to have candid communication with the US side, and engage in dialogues aimed at solving problems.”
Not only during the Trump administration, but also since Joe Biden took office as the US President, Washington and Beijing have clashed on multiple fronts including trade, Beijing’s territorial claims in the resources-rich South China Sea, as well as Washington’s criticism of human rights abuses in the far western Chinese region of Xinjiang.
Accordingly, Wang recommended several steps that would create the “necessary conditions” for cooperation between the two countries, including the removal of US tariffs on Chinese goods and the abandoning of what he described as an irrational suppression of the technology sector of China.
He urged Washington to respect the core interests of the East Asian country, stop interfering in Beijing’s internal affairs, and to stop “smearing” the ruling Communist Party of China.
Although the minister described Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent call with President Biden as a positive step, however, the Biden administration has signalled that it will maintain pressure on Beijing. The US President has expressed his concern regarding Beijing’s “coercive and unfair” trade practices and alleged that China’s conduct in Xinjiang amounted to genocide.
On the other hand, President Biden has also said that he is keen to cooperate with Beijing on issues such as climate change, and intends to take a more multilateral approach in United States’ relations with China.
