WANG YI, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing yesterday, calling for efforts to reverse the downward spiral of China-U.S. ties. Wang said Blinken’s trip to Beijing comes at a critical point in bilateral relations, where a choice needs to be made between dialogue or confrontation, cooperation or conflict. Noting that time always moves forward and so do China-U.S. ties, Wang said turning back the wheel of history has no future. “We must take a responsible attitude toward the people, history and the world, reverse the downward spiral of China-U.S. relations,” he said, calling on the two sides to return bilateral ties to the healthy and stable track and jointly find the right way for China and the U.S. to get along in the new era. On Sunday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang held talks with Blinken for nearly six hours, after which both countries said they had agreed to continue high-level discussions. Qin pointed out that the China-U.S. relationship is at the lowest point since its establishment. This does not serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples or meet the shared expectations of the international community. China’s policy toward the U.S. remains consistent and stable. It is fundamentally guided by the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation put forward by President Xi Jinping. These principles should also be the spirit jointly upheld, the red line jointly defended and the goal jointly pursued by both sides. China is committed to building a stable, predictable and constructive relationship with the U.S. China hopes that the U.S. will adopt an objective and rational perception of China, work with China in the same direction, uphold the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and handle unexpected and sporadic events in a calm, professional and rational manner. Qin expounded on China’s firm position and raised clear demands on the Taiwan question and other core interests and major concerns. Qin pointed out that the Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests, the most consequential issue and the most pronounced risk in the China-U.S. relationship. The Chinese side urged the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and truly deliver on its commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence.” Both sides agreed to maintain high-level interactions. Blinken invited Qin to visit the U.S., and Qin expressed his readiness to make the visit at a mutually convenient time. Both sides welcomed more mutual visits by students, scholars and business people, and agreed to provide support and facilitation to this end. The two sides also exchanged views on major international and regional issues of mutual interest. (CGTN, Xinhua) | 