China to opt for ‘mutually beneficial coexistence with USA: FM
Saud Faisal Malik Beijing
China hopes the United States will explore the right way to get along with China that benefits both countries and the world, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress, Qin said China will continue to follow the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to pursue a sound and stable relationship with the United States.
“We hope the U.S. government will listen to the calls of the two peoples, rid of its strategic anxiety of ‘threat inflation,’ abandon the zero-sum Cold War mentality, and refuse to be hijacked by ‘political correctness,’” he said.
Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that China has pressed the “acceleration button” and sounded “the clarion call” for diplomacy. “We will follow the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy,” he said, adding that China will host the first China-Central Asia Summit and the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation this year.
China stands firmly against any form of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, camp-based confrontation or acts that contain and hold back other countries’ development, Qin said.
“We will take it as our mission to defend China’s core interests,” he said. “We will resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests.”
China will build on its extensive partnerships, and take openness and development as the objective, said Qin.
“We will reject ‘decoupling,’ and oppose severing industrial and supply chains and imposing unilateral sanctions,” he stressed.
Qin also underscored the importance of multilateralism, and said China will promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, promote greater democracy in international relations, and make global governance more just and equitable.
“The new journey of China’s diplomacy will be an expedition with glories and dreams, and it will also be a long voyage through stormy seas,” he said, vowing to meet challenges head-on.
China will foster an enabling external environment for building a modern socialist country in all respects, and write a new chapter in China’s distinctive major-country diplomacy in the new era, said the Chinese foreign minister.
“China fully respects Middle Eastern countries as the masters of their own affairs. We have no intention to fill a so-called vacuum,” Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said. “And we will not build exclusive circles,” he added.
In the Middle East, China will be a facilitator for peace and stability, a cooperative partner for development and prosperity, and an enabler for building strength through unity, Qin stressed.
China-Europe relations are not targeted at, dependent on, or subjected to a third party, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said. No matter how the situation develops, China always regards Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and supports European integration, Qin said.
China hopes Europe truly achieve strategic autonomy and lasting security and stability, he said. China is willing to work with Europe to uphold true multilateralism, and to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership, he added.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang responded to the Taiwan question with the Chinese Constitution in hand, saying that the island of Taiwan is a part of China’s sacred territory. How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter of China’s own internal affairs, and no foreign country has the right to interfere.
The Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests, the foundation of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first uncrossable red line in China-US relations, Qin stressed. The US bears undeniable responsibility for provoking the Taiwan question.
Recently, some senior US officials said that the Taiwan question is not an issue of China’s internal affair. Qin responded that China firmly opposed to that and remained highly vigilant.
Qin also said that the reason China talks to the US about the Taiwan question is to urge the US not to interfere in China’s internal affairs. If the Taiwan question is not handled well, China-US relations will be thrown off course.
If the US really wants peace across the Taiwan Straits, it should stop containing China with the Taiwan question, return to the roots of the one-China principle, honor its political commitment to China, and unequivocally oppose and stop “Taiwan independence.”
“For both sides of the Straits, we all have a shared family, and the name is China,” Qin said. As blood compatriots, China will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and utmost efforts. “The Anti-Secession Law makes it clear that if there is a violation of the law, we must act in accordance with the Constitution,” Qin noted.
