Beijing — China said it feels this year will be a “landmark year” for relations with its biggest rival the US, striking a more positive tone ahead of an expected summit between the two countries’ leaders later this month.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, speaking at a press conference on Sunday on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China’s ceremonial legislature, said it was a “big year” for relations between the two world powers. Despite many differences, he said, “the two heads of state have personally maintained good exchanges at the highest level”, providing a level of “strategic guarantee” to the bilateral relationship.
US President Donald Trump will visit Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in late March. Although Wang did not confirm the visit, he indicated that Beijing was looking for a less fraught relationship.
“The agenda for high-level exchanges is already on our table. What needs to be done now is for both sides to make thorough preparations for it, foster an appropriate environment, manage existing differences and eliminate unnecessary confusion,” Wang said. “China’s attitude has always been positive and open, and it is important that the US side meets us halfway.”
The two countries have been at loggerheads for years, ever since Trump started a trade war with China during his first term. Last year, he hit China with his highest-ever trade tariffs worldwide, citing a major trade imbalance with the country. Trump and Xi agreed to a tentative trade deal last October that struck a pause on higher tariffs, but did not address any deeper underlying problems.
Wang’s comments see China on the rise, but seek to defend the role of the United Nations, which has been undergoing layoffs and cutbacks since the US withdrawal from many UN initiatives.
The minister spoke about the Global Governance Initiative, a security initiative first unveiled by China’s Xi last September. Beijing now says the initiative will focus on the United Nations. “A clear signal from global governance initiatives is that the central role of the UN must be upheld and not shaken; its central role must be strengthened, not weakened.”
Wang reiterated his call for an immediate halt to military actions in Iran.
“This is a war that should not happen, and will not benefit anyone,” Wang said, without naming the US, who offered thinly-veiled criticism. “Strength does not equal right, and the world cannot return to the law of the jungle.”
He called on major powers to “play a constructive role” and return to the negotiating table to end the war.
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AP video producer Liu Zheng contributed to this report.
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