China tells US to take actions to stabilize bilateral relations

ISTANBUL

China’s foreign minister urged the US on Thursday to take “real actions” and resolutely stop “gray rhinos,” properly handle “black swans” and thoroughly remove “tigers blocking the way” to create conditions and remove disruptions for stabilizing relations between Beijing and Washington.

Wang Yi made the remarks in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.

“The US needs to take a rational and pragmatic approach, work with China in the same direction, advance the consultation on the guiding principles of China-US relations, expand the communication channel in diplomatic and security fields, make their communication more effective, and promote smooth people-to-people exchanges,” Wang told Blinken, who paid an official visit to China last month, where he also met with President Xi Jinping.

It was the first visit to China by a top US diplomat since 2018. This was their second meeting since Blinken’s trip to Beijing.

Ahead of their meeting, the two men posed for photos before a closed-door meeting. They made no comments to the media.

Wang insisted that Washington should implement the “consensus” reached between Xi and his US counterpart Joe Biden when they met in Indonesia last November on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

“Through in-depth and candid communication, the two sides reached some common understandings,” Wang said about Blinken’s Beijing meetings, adding that the “most important understanding was to “return to the Bali agenda, thus taking an important step toward recalibrating the giant ship of China-US ties.”

Urging Washington to “avoid wantonly interfering in China’s internal affairs or undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Wang reiterated China’s “stern position on Taiwan,” which Beijing calls its “breakaway province.”

He demanded that the US should “stop suppressing China in economy, trade, science and technology and lift the illegal and unwarranted sanctions against China.”

Calling discussions on the Asia-Pacific and maritime affairs and other matters “positive,” Beijing described the meeting between Wang and Blinken as “candid, pragmatic and constructive,” while the two sides agreed to maintain communication.