Photo:Xinhua

When talking about the China-US relations, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised four questions to the US during a press conference on Thursday, urging the US to view China's development objectively and rationally, and act to fulfill its commitments. 

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? 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 value chains and keeps China at the low end, where is fairness in competition? Wang responded to a question about the China-US relations. 

No matter how the international situation changes, China has always maintained the stability and continuity of its policy toward the US, Wang said, noting that China has always handled China-US relations with an attitude of responsibility toward history, the people, and the world.

Our position is the three principles proposed by President Xi Jinping- 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, Wang said. 

Mutual respect is the precondition, because interaction sustains only when differences in social and political systems are respected and acknowledged. Peaceful coexistence is the baseline, because conflict and confrontation between two major countries like China and the US have unimaginable consequences. Win-win cooperation is the goal, because when working together, China and the US can do great things conducive to the two countries and the world, the Chinese Foreign Minister said. 

Since the meeting between the leaders of the two countries in San Francisco in November 2023, there has indeed been some progress in improving China-US relations, which fully aligns with the wishes and interests of the peoples of both countries and the world, Wang said.

However, it must be pointed out that the US side's incorrect perceptions of China continue, and the commitments made by the US have not been truly fulfilled. The means of suppressing China are constantly being innovated, and the list of unilateral sanctions is continuously extending, reaching an unimaginable level of seeking to place blame, he said. 

We urge the US 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, Wang said. 

In response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's "table and menu" remarks, Wang said countries should not be categorized according to their "strength." Those with the bigger fist should not have the final say. And it is definitely unacceptable that certain countries must be at the table while some others can only be on the menu.

Multipolarity doesn't mean multiple blocs, or fragmentation, or disarray, Wang said. All countries must act within the UN-centered international system and pursue cooperation under global governance, Wang said. 

The challenge for the US comes from itself, not from China. If the US is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself, Wang said.

Wang Yi's remarks on the US were incisive, vividly outlining China's basic stance and principles in handling relations with the US, who also identified the crux of China-US relations and provided a fundamental guidance for the healthy future development of the bilateral relations, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

The Chinese senior diplomat highlighted the negative impact brought to both the US itself and the world due to deteriorating China-US relations caused by incorrect US policies. Wang's statement on the US pointed out China's goodwill to develop, cooperate, stabilize, and achieve win-win outcomes, Li said. 

"Many of the disputes in existing international affairs are related to US' incorrect foreign perceptions," the expert said. 

Regarding China-US relations in 2024 when the US entered the presidential election period, Chinese experts urged the US to fulfill its commitments in various areas and turn them into reality. 

"Following the leaders' meeting in November 2023, the bilateral relations have entered a relatively dynamic and stable state with interactions, communications, and dialogues in various fields continuously increased," Diao Daming, a professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

All these contribute to maintaining a dynamic stability in certain areas of China-US relations, he noted. "Meanwhile, the US side should maintain such a positive momentum, avoid actions that are detrimental to this dynamic stability," Diao said, stressing that a stable China-US relations also sends out a positive signal to the world.