China to US: Choose conflict or cooperation, 'no room' for compromise
Beijing's Wang Yi brings up misconceptions and miscalculations by the Americans about the Chinese, calling on the US to refrain from misjudgments and adopt a responsible position instead to amend the deteriorating ties.
-
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 19, 2023. (AP)
After a 3-hour long meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, Chinese media quoted China's top diplomat Wang Yi warning the US to decide between “dialogue and confrontation” in its relations with China.
"It is necessary to make a choice between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation or conflict," Wang said, adding: “We must reverse the downward spiral of China-US relations, push for a return to a healthy and stable track, and work together to find a correct way for China and the United States to get along".
Misconceptions and miscalculations by the Americans about the Chinese were brought up by Wang as he called on Washington to refrain from misjudgments and adopt a responsible position instead, to amend the deteriorating ties between the globe's two largest economies.
#US Secretary of State #AntonyBlinken landed in China on Sunday, months after his originally scheduled visit was canceled over the balloon incident dispute and #America's anti-#China international campaign. pic.twitter.com/ybs7t1uRjx
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 18, 2023
According to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang told Blinken "We must take a responsible attitude toward the people, history and the world".
Wang also reiterated that Taiwan remains a red line for China and demanded that the US “truly adhere” to its One-China policy commitment.
Read next: China says not to send lethal weapons to Russia: Blinken
The Chinese top diplomat stressed that both sides should start with “communicating” to avert a conflict.
Blinken landed in China on Sunday, marking his first visit to the country as Secretary of State and the first of an official in his position since 2018.
The visit was planned for February, but it had to be postponed after tensions with China forced Washington to suspend its plans.
The United States claimed that China sent a spy balloon over its airspace, with the US intelligence community claiming that the aerial object was part of a vast surveillance program of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
