Wang Yi: US must be rational about China

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends a press conference on the sidelines of the second session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing on Thursday. [PHOTO by FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY]

Beijing urges Washington "to be clear-eyed about the trend of the times, view China's development objectively and rationally, engage in exchanges with China proactively and pragmatically, and act to fulfill its commitments", Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Wang made the comments when answering a question about China-US ties at a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual two sessions.

He stressed that "the challenge for the US comes from itself, not from China". "If the US is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself."

President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden met in San Francisco last November.

"We have seen that some progress has indeed been made in improving China-US relations since the San Francisco meeting, which is fully in line with the aspirations and interests of the two countries and the people of the world," Wang said.

"But we have to point out that the US side's misperception of China still continues, and the promises made by the US side have not been faithfully honored," he warned.

The US tactics of suppressing China are being constantly updated, the list of unilateral sanctions is being lengthened, and the allegations against China are ludicrous, he added.

At the press conference, Wang raised four sharp questions for the US.

"If the US says one thing and does another, where is its credibility as a major country? If it gets jittery whenever it hears the word 'China', where is its confidence as a major country?" he asked.

"If it only wants itself to prosper but denies other countries' legitimate development, where is international fairness? If it persistently monopolizes the high end of the value chain and keeps China at the low end, where is fairness in competition?" he added.

Speaking to reporters, Wang referred to the three principles proposed by President Xi about China-US relations, namely mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

"They are a statement of the experiences and lessons of the 50-plus years of China-US relations and represent the right way for interactions between major countries. They should be observed and acted upon by both sides," he said.

He said mutual respect is the precondition "because interaction sustains only when differences in social and political systems are respected and acknowledged".

"Conflict and confrontation between two major countries like China and the US have unimaginable consequences," he said, adding that when working together, China and the US "can do great things conducive to the two countries and the world".

"We are always willing to strengthen dialogue and communication with the US side, to promote friendly exchanges between peoples from all walks of life, to build more bridges of mutual understanding, and to eliminate unnecessary misunderstandings and prejudices," the minister said.

"We believe that the two sides are fully capable of finding a proper way for two different major countries to get along in the world," he added.