China to 'recalibrate' relation with US, increase contact with Europe

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News website
26 Dec 2022 00:06
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This comes as the country outlines its major diplomatic tasks for next year, eyeing to rebuild diplomatic ties.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

As the nation announces its primary diplomatic goals for the coming year, China said it will work to "recalibrate" its relationship with the US and improve contact with Europe.

“We will follow through on the common understandings reached between the Chinese and US Presidents and work to bring bilateral relations back on the right course,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech at a symposium about foreign relations on Sunday.

President Xi Jinping recently held his first face-to-face summit with President Joe Biden in Bali, Indonesia, in an effort to repair strained relations with the US and its allies. During Xi's ten-year rule, Beijing's increasingly assertive foreign policy and anti-hegemony approach have contributed to a decline in public support throughout the developed world.

The United States has put pressure on its security allies, such as South Korea, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and Japan to abide by broad restrictions on the export of cutting-edge semiconductors to China.

Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope for an improvement in China-US relations in 2023 during a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"A new year should bring a new atmosphere, the people of the two countries and the world hope that China-US relations will stop falling and rise again," Wang said, as quoted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese Minister emphasized that "zero-sum thinking" will only lead to mutual exhaustion and head-on collision, stressing that China and the United States must find the right way to coexist and make efforts to ensure the well-being of citizens, world peace, and stability.

At the same time, Wang underscored that the US should not "discuss cooperation and stab at the same time," noting that China will continue to resolutely defend its sovereignty, security, and development interests.

He advised Blinken over the phone that the US should cease stifling China's development and that both countries should concentrate on putting the Bali Agreement into practice. Without mentioning any specific countries, Wang stated in the speech on Sunday that China would reject any hegemony and bullying.

According to a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China's top diplomat declared that his nation will enhance high-level interactions and strategic communications with Europe.

Wang also pledged to strengthen the two nations' comprehensive strategic alliance with Russia by fostering greater mutual trust and mutually advantageous cooperation. In Beijing last week, Xi informed his former Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev that his country welcomed discussions over Ukraine.