FM blasts US failure to honor its pledges

Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed out on Thursday at Washington’s persistent misperception of and suppression against China while endorsing the latest progress seen in the bilateral ties.

He made the comments at a news conference in Beijing on the sidelines of the annual session of China’s top legislature.

Observers said Wang’s comments represent China’s sense of duty and determination to get things right, because the relations have major implications for global stability.

“We have seen that some progress has indeed been made in improving China-US relations since the summit in San Francisco, which is fully in line with the aspirations and interests of the two countries and the people of the world,” Wang said.

However, “the US side’s misperception of China still continues, and the promises made by the US side have not been faithfully honored”, he said.

The US tactics of suppressing China are being constantly updated, the list of unilateral sanctions is being lengthened, and the allegations against China are ludicrous, he added.

Wang emphasized that “the challenge for the US comes from itself, not from China”.

He added, “If the US is obsessed with suppressing China, it will eventually harm itself.”

Wang raised four questions.

“If the US says one thing and does another, where is its credibility as a major country? If it gets jittery whenever it hears the word ‘China’, where is its confidence as a major country?” he asked.

“If it only wants itself to prosper but denies other countries’ legitimate development, where is international fairness? If it persistently monopolizes the high end of the value chain and keeps China at the low end, where is fairness in competition?” he added.

Beijing urges Washington “to be clear-eyed about the trend of the times, view China’s development objectively and rationally, engage in exchanges with China proactively and pragmatically, and act to fulfill its commitments”, he said.

Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies’ Department of American Studies, said, “The four questions by the minister reveal the US failure to fix its fundamental problem, that is, its fundamental perception of China.”

The US attempt to slow down its competitors “targets not only China, but also other strategic rivals”, and such a pattern of behavior is detrimental to US growth itself and brings more uncertainty and turbulence to the world, she said.

“Beijing has made it clear that it will be beneficial to both sides if they could work on win-win cooperation, and the Chinese side has been consistently and constantly sending positive messages urging Washington to move toward the same goal,” she said.

The foreign minister’s comments also remind the global community of China’s positive attitude and approach toward advancing relations among major countries, she added.

Speaking to reporters, Wang referred to the three principles proposed by President Xi Jinping about China-US ties — mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

China is always willing to “strengthen dialogue and communication with the US side” and to “eliminate unnecessary misunderstandings and prejudices,” Wang said.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn