Photo： Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that as long as China and the US join hands, great things can be accomplished, while stressing that China firmly safeguards its sovereignty, security and development interests, and resolutely opposes the illegal and unreasonable suppression of China by the US.

Meanwhile, Chinese and US financial and economic working groups had two separate meetings over the past week or so, pointing to continued dialogue and cooperation between the world's two biggest economies, despite lingering tensions due to the US' crackdown measures against China.  

Policy stability, continuity

While addressing a symposium on the international situation and China's foreign relations in 2024 on Tuesday, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that the relationship between China and the US concerns not only the well-being of the people of both countries but also the future and destiny of the entire world. 

Over the past year, guided by head-of-state diplomacy, China has been working toward overall stability in bilateral relations, focusing on implementing the "San Francisco Vision," said Wang.

He noted various meetings and cooperation between China and the US over the past year, including strategic communication, and financial and economic working group meetings, and said that the progress is widely welcomed by various sectors of the two countries and the international community at large.

It fully shows that as long as China and the United States join hands, great things can be accomplished, Wang said. At the same time, China firmly safeguards its sovereignty, security and development interests, and resolutely opposes the illegal and unreasonable suppression of China by the US, he added.        

In particular, regarding the US gross interference in China's internal affairs such as issues relating to Taiwan, China must make unequivocally forceful response, resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests, and uphold the basic norms governing international relations, he added.

Noting that China's policy toward the US has maintained stability and continuity, which reflects the strategic resolve and the broad mind of a big country, Wang said that China is ready to work with the US to maintain dialogue, manage differences, enhance mutual trust, dispel misgivings and expand cooperation in order to explore the right way for the two major countries to get along. 

Reflecting the continuing dialogue between China and the US, the China-US financial working group held its seventh meeting in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province from Sunday to Monday, during which the two sides inked an updated memorandum of understanding on facilitating communication and cooperation related to the insurance sector, the People's Bank of China (PBC) said on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the two sides had "professional, pragmatic, candid and constructive" discussions on a range of topics including the macroeconomic situations and monetary policies of the two countries, financial stability and oversight, the PBC said in a statement on Tuesday. The Chinese side also raised issues of concern to the US side.

A day earlier, the Chinese Ministry of Finance said that the China-US economic working group held the seventh meeting on December 12 in Johannesburg, South Africa, during which the two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive communication over macroeconomic situations and policies of the two countries and other topics of global challenges. 

Notably, during the economic working group meeting, the Chinese side clarified its position on relevant economic and trade issues and expressed concern about the recent US economic and trade restrictions against China, the ministry said.

In managing China-US relations, China has consistently upheld the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, while firmly responding to and criticizing the US' hegemonic actions and attempts to contain China, Wang Wen, executive dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "This underscores China's unwavering diplomatic stance," he said.

In addition to the strategic dialogues and financial and economic working group meetings, China and the US have promoted practical cooperation in areas such as drug control, law enforcement and climate change, signed a protocol to amend and extend the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology, and arranged visits to China for nearly 15,000 US youths, according to the Chinese Foreign Minister on Tuesday. 

Cooperation crucial for world

The latest developments in China-US relations, including the financial and economic working group meetings and remarks about jointly addressing global issues, demonstrate both the great importance and the huge potential for China-US cooperation, said Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation. 

Zhou noted that cooperation between China and the US is not only in line with the development interests of the two countries, but is also crucial for the world amid various global challenges. "Many countries around the world expect the two countries to provide more stability, rather than uncertainty," he told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that some around the world will likely view China-US relations with more uncertainty for some time to come. 

"However, China has always promoted positive interactions between China and the US with integrity and sincerity, thereby helping advance global peace and development," Song told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Chinese officials have repeatedly made clear its willingness to pursue dialogue and cooperation with the US. In addition to the Foreign Minister's remarks on Tuesday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday that China has maintained close communication with the team from US Department of Commerce through the established bilateral communication mechanisms and is also open to engaging with the new US administration's economic and trade team. 

At such a delicate moment with a new US administration set to come into power, China's foreign policy has been very prudent and rigorous, and the Chinese foreign minister's reiteration of China's policy stance toward the US sends a clear signal for the US and the world, according to Song. 

"This in fact sends a firm signal to the US and the world that regardless of the US changes, China's principles and positions remain unchanged," Song said.