US should not 'discuss cooperation and stab at the same time': China

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Dec 2022 13:16
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The Chinese Foreign Minister says China and the United States must find the right way to coexist and make efforts to ensure world peace and stability.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Xinhua)

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 on Friday.

"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.

"The US should take China's legitimate concerns seriously, as well as stop containment and suppression of China's development, in particular, should not further challenge China's red line," the Chinese top diplomat indicated, adding that all attempts to unreasonably suppress China are "doomed to fail."

In recent months, US-China relations were strained due to provocative visits by US lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan despite objections from Beijing. The disagreement resulted in increased Chinese military activity around the island.

However, in mid-December, a high-level US delegation met with China's Vice Foreign Minister in Langfang, a city near Beijing, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The US State Department said the purpose of the visit was to follow up on US President Joe Biden's recent talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, as well as to prepare for Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit there early next year.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing in Beijing that "the talks were frank, in-depth, and constructive."

It is noteworthy that on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia in mid-November, Biden and Xi engaged in blunt talks about Taiwan and DPRK, with the goal of preventing strained US-China relations from devolving into a new Cold War.