US urged to enhance ties during talks

Beijing opposes Washington's interference in its internal affairs and national interests

After key diplomatic talks on Monday, Beijing has urged Washington to adopt a proper approach toward China-US cooperation, saying that it is untenable to see the US damaging Chinese interests while also seeking collaboration.

Vice-Foreign Minister Xie Feng spoke to reporters after his talks with visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Monday in Tianjin.

During the talks, Xie criticized the concept of China as an "imagined enemy", attempts to bring China down, and comments defining ties with China as "competitive, collaborative and adversarial".

According to a Foreign Ministry statement issued about the talks, Xie said the Chinese people "feel that the real emphasis is on the adversarial aspect, the collaborative aspect is just an expediency, and the competitive aspect is a narrative trap".

Demanding cooperation when Washington wants something from China seems to be US policy, as well as decoupling, cutting off supplies, blockading or sanctioning China when it believes it has an advantage; and resorting to conflict and confrontation at all costs, he said.

It seems that the US only thinks about addressing its own concerns, getting the results it wants and advancing its own interests, said Xie. "Do bad things and get good results. How is that ever possible?"

When warning that "a whole-of-government and whole-of-society campaign is being waged to bring China down", Xie debunked ideas that when China's development is contained, all US domestic and external challenges would go away, and it would "become great" again.

Xie urged the US to change course, work with China on the basis of mutual respect, and embrace fair competition and peaceful coexistence with China.

China also reiterated its strong dissatisfaction with the US stance on issues including novel coronavirus origin tracing, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

Beijing opposes Washington's interference in China's internal affairs and harming China's interests, and demands that the US stop damaging China's interests, seeking provocation and stirring up confrontation, Zhao added.

Xie, a senior Chinese diplomat in charge of US affairs, said his talks on Monday with Sherman were "in-depth and candid", and were "helpful to strive for the healthy development of Sino-US relations in the next stage".

Xie revealed that at the negotiating table, the US side "sought China's cooperation and support" on issues including climate change and the Iran and Korean Peninsula nuclear issues, and said China has been playing a responsible and constructive role in these matters.

After the talks, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Sherman.

Two lists

Speaking to reporters, Xie said that China put forward two lists to the US during the talks. One deals with "US wrongdoings that must stop", while the other is a list of "key individual cases that China has concerns with".

In the first list, China urged the US to unconditionally revoke visa restrictions on Communist Party of China members and their families, revoke sanctions on Chinese leaders, officials and government agencies, and remove visa restrictions on Chinese students.

Washington was also urged to stop suppressing Chinese enterprises and Confucius Institutes, revoke the designation of Chinese media outlets in the US as "foreign agents" or "foreign missions", and revoke the request for the extradition of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of tech giant Huawei.

The second list stated some concerns including Chinese diplomatic and consular missions being harassed and attacked in the US, growing anti-Asian and anti-China sentiment, and Chinese citizens suffering violent attacks.

China urged the US to address those cases as soon as possible and earnestly respect and protect the legitimate interests of Chinese citizens and institutions in the US, according to the list.

Diao Daming, an associate professor of US studies at the School of International Studies of Renmin University of China, said Beijing's position made clear at the talks on Monday the need to "create a real 'guardrail' for China-US relations by strengthening cooperation".

The two lists proposed to Washington "have pointed out the right direction for the US to get back on the right track", he said.

"At present, Beijing's attitude, direction and specific measures for easing, repairing and stabilizing China-US ties are very clear, and now what is important is the follow-up action of the US side," Diao added.