Chinese FM holds phone talks with US secretary of state over bilateral ties

BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation on Monday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the latter's request, with the two sides exchanging views on the current and future China-US relations.

The United States, Blinken said, pays close attention to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its report.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said the 20th CPC National Congress was a united, democratic and progressive one.

The most important achievement of the congress, Wang said, is that it responded to the common aspirations of the whole party and the people of the whole country, established General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and established Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guiding ideology that must be adhered to for a long time.

China will continue to unswervingly follow the proven path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, Wang said, adding that the major policies of the Chinese party and government will retain a high degree of continuity and stability.

Wang stressed that the important message sent by the congress is that China will stick to the foreign policy objectives of maintaining world peace and promoting common development, continue to pursue the fundamental national policy of opening up, promote the overall progress of mankind with the Chinese path to modernization, and bring new opportunities to the world with China's new developments, which is the greatest stability China offers to the turbulent international situation.

The United States should carefully study the report of the 20th CPC National Congress if it really wants to understand China, Wang said, adding that China's domestic and foreign policies are open and transparent, and its strategic intentions are open and aboveboard. He also cautioned the United States against making conjectures by looking through tinted glasses and allowing ideological biases to cloud its eyes.

Wang said that bringing China-US relations back to the track of stable development not only serves the common interests of China and the United States, but also meets the common expectations of the international community. The United States should stop containing and suppressing China and refrain from creating new obstacles for bilateral relations, he said.

The United States has adopted new export control regulations against China and restricted its investment in China, seriously violating free trade rules and gravely undermining China's legitimate rights and interests, and thus must correct those practices, Wang added.

The world is looking forward to US-China cooperation, Blinken said, adding that the United States stands ready to maintain communication and cooperation with China on the next stage of US-China relations and explore the basis of their bilateral relations.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Wang said that all parties should exercise restraint, make calm decisions and step up diplomatic efforts to prevent the crisis from escalating or even getting out of control.

The door of negotiations must not be shut as long as there is a glimmer of hope, and 100 percent efforts should be made for peace as long as there is a 1 percent chance, Wang said.