Spotlight: China, U.S. hold 'constructive and fruitful' dialogue on diplomatic, security issues

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (1st R) co-chairs a diplomatic and security dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (1st L) and Secretary of Defense James Mattis (2nd L) as Fang Fenghui (2nd R), a member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, also participates in the dialogue in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 21, 2017. China and the United States began their first diplomatic and security dialogue on Wednesday at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C. (Xinhua/Yin bogu)

WASHINGTON, June 22 -- China and the United States on Wednesday held a high-level dialogue on diplomatic and security issues, vowing to promote bilateral ties by broadening cooperation and managing differences.

Both sides agreed that the inaugural diplomatic and security dialogue was "constructive" and "fruitful" and pledged to continue with the mechanism to further develop Sino-U.S. relations.

The dialogue is one of the four high-level mechanisms established during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinpingand U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida in April.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi co-chaired the one-day dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

Fang Fenghui, a member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, also participated in the dialogue.

RIGHT DIRECTION FOR BILATERAL TIES

The successful meeting between Xi and Trump set the course for China-U.S. relations in the new era, and bilateral ties between the two countries have since made new and positive progress, Yang said at the dialogue, calling on both sides to maintain the right direction for the bilateral relationship.

At the dialogue, both China and the United States pledged to build on the consensus reached by the two presidents and promote healthy and stable development of the bilateral relationship in the long term.

China and the United States emphasized the importance of high-level interactions between the two sides, anticipating fruitful results at the upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump during the G-20 summit next month and Trump's successful state visit to China later this year.

The relations between the United States and China have undergone a profound transformation over the past 40 years, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said following Wednesday's dialogue, adding that the four dialogue mechanisms "provide an opportunity to consider how we're going to engage and how we're going to live with one another over the next 40 years."

"In furthering this relationship, we need to work to expand areas of cooperation, as we did today, on issues where we have shared security interest," Tillerson said.

"But we also need to address, directly and very frankly, areas where we face threats or areas where we have differences so that we can narrow these differences and solve the problems," he added.

RIGHT ATTITUDES TOWARDS STRATEGIC INTENTIONS

At the dialogue, the Chinese side pointed out that both countries should have the right attitudes towards each other's strategic intentions.

The two countries should respect each other's political system and mode of development, as well as sovereignty, territorial integrity and developmental interests.

The U.S. side said it acknowledged China's rapid development and has no intention of curbing China. It also expressed the willingness to cooperate with China and develop a long-term constructive relationship between the two countries.

On their military-to-military relationship, both sides vowed to follow through annual exchange programs and called for early visits of the two countries' defense chiefs.

The two sides also pledged to deepen cooperation on areas such as humanitarian assistance, anti-piracy and military medical sciences and to implement memorandums of understanding on confidence-building mechanisms.

On Wednesday, the Chinese side reiterated its stance on Taiwan and Tibet-related issues and emphasized the importance that the U.S. side should honor its relevant commitments and handle these issues in a proper manner.

The United States reiterated that it adheres to the one-China Policy and reaffirmed its position that Tibet is part of China and Washington does not support any separatist activities.

RESOLVING KOREAN PENINSULAR ISSUE THROUGH TALKS

At the dialogue, China called for an early resumption of talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue and reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the issue through negotiations.

China reiterated its commitment to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability there, and urged a comprehensive and strict implementation of relevant United NationsSecurity Council resolutions on the issue.

China proposed a "dual-track approach" to promoting denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and establishing a peace mechanism in parallel and a "suspension for suspension" to defuse the looming crisis.

As a first step, Pyongyang may suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale Washington-Seoul military exercises.

On Wednesday, China called on relevant parties to consider and adopt these proposals, in a bid to pull the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back on the right track of peaceful resolution through dialogue and consultation.

At the dialogue, China also reiterated its opposition to the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile defense system in South Korea, saying such deployment should be halted and revoked.

On the South China Seaissue, China said it exerts indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters and has every right to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime rights.

China and the United States also exchanged views on anti-terrorism. China emphasized that it firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and hopes to enhance anti-terrorism cooperation with the United States on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.