China blames US for ‘undermining’ bilateral ties

ISTANBUL

China on Monday blamed the US for “undermining” the bilateral relations, urging Washington to “push” China-US relations “back on track.”

The Sino-US relations are of “great significance” not only to China and the United States, “but also to the world,” Qin Gang, the Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, told US Ambassador Nicholas Burns during a meeting in Beijing.

Qin said it was “necessary to prevent accidents” between the world’s top two economies through a “calm, professional, and pragmatic manner.”

"We should promote dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, reciprocity, and mutual benefit."

Referring to the November meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden in Indonesia, which had “reached important consensus,” the Chinese top diplomat, however, blamed Washington for “a series of erroneous words and deeds ... (which) have undermined the hard-won positive momentum” of relations since then.

“The agenda of dialogue and cooperation agreed by the two sides has been disrupted, and the relationship between the two countries has once again hit the ice,” Qin said.

A readout from Beijing and Chinese state media quoted Qin as saying that the top priority for the two sides was “to stabilize Sino-US relations, avoid a downward spiral, and prevent accidents between China and the United States.”

“This should be the most basic consensus between China and the United States.”

Assuring the US that Beijing will adhere to the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, Qin said: “It is hoped that the US side will reflect deeply, meet China halfway, and push China-US relations out of the predicament and back on track.”

However, he noted: “It is not possible to talk about communication on the one hand, but to keep suppressing and containing China on the other hand.”

“You cannot say one thing and do another,” the Chinese foreign minister told the US ambassador in Beijing.

Urging Washington to “stop undermining China's sovereignty, security, and development interests,” Qin particularly pointed out the issue of Taiwan.

He said the two sides “must correctly handle the Taiwan issue.”

“Stop hollowing out the one-China principle, and stop supporting and condoning ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” he told Burns.

China considers Taiwan as its “breakaway province” while Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949.

Washington has in recent few years accelerated its communication, and visits by lawmakers, to the island nation of around 24 million people.