Senior diplomat urges continued dialogue with US

Vice-FM appeals to Beijing, Washington to stay focused, put issues 'on the table'

A senior Chinese diplomat has said that keeping communication open is one of the most pressing issues to be resolved in the current relationship between China and the United States, and he urged the two sides to remain focused and not be swayed by any extreme forces.

Vice-Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said in an interview on Tuesday that there should be no "radio silence" between the two countries' foreign ministries and he was ready for talks with his US counterpart at any time.

"No matter how difficult and complex the issues may be, they should be put on the table," he said.

According to Le, the next few months will be critical for bilateral relations and the two sides must prevent them from getting derailed.

The vice-foreign minister noted that a string of actions taken recently by the US against China are aimed at stoking ideological confrontation and reviving the Cold War in the 21st century. He mentioned the witch hunt against Chinese scientists as well as the harassment and detention of Chinese students in the US.

"In fact, US politicians are attempting to cover up their real strategic agenda to contain China, put together a so-called coalition of free democracies and build a clique against China," Le said, adding that some US politicians are telling packs of lies, particularly when it comes to smearing China, without even the slightest hint of shame.

He said the US administration's recent actions against TikTok, which have been conducted without the support of any solid evidence, were "sheer gangster logic and daylight robbery".

However, Le pointed out that the overwhelming majority of countries refuse to be hijacked by the US and they have no interest in, and even resent ideological confrontation and a "new Cold War".

"All they think about is how to work together to defeat COVID-19, save lives, and revive the economy," he said.

Last month, a group of scholars and former statesmen from 48 countries gathered for an online event themed "A New Cold War Against China is Against the Interests of Humanity" and issued a joint statement named "No to the New Cold War" in 14 languages, calling on the US to stop forming cliques and dividing the world.

Faced with US actions against China, Le said the country's guiding principles are very clear: China does not provoke, and China will not flinch from provocations.

"The US tried many times before to contain and impose sanctions on China in history. We have not only survived, but also thrived. As Comrade Deng Xiaoping once pointed out, 'The last country in the world to be afraid of isolation, blockade or sanctions is China'," he said.

The diplomat also denounced some US politicians' hostile remarks about the Communist Party of China, saying that these only "expose their ignorance of China and the Party".

Le noted that CPC members always take the lead to brave danger and disasters to serve the people. For example, when COVID-19 hit the country, over 39 million CPC members nationwide stepped up to fight the virus on the front line.

"The performance of the CPC can only be evaluated by the Chinese people, instead of a few anti-China Americans," Le said.

The CPC has never been an obstacle in the nearly half-century of China-US interaction, and on the contrary, the CPC has been the leading and driving force for mutually beneficial cooperation, he added.