Chinese Foreign Minister calls for efforts to put China-US relations back on track

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

State Councilor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, has called for efforts to put China-United States relations back on the right path of healthy and stable development.

Wang made the call at a press conference on the sidelines of the Fifth Session of the 13th National People’s Congress.

“We must replace the ‘competitive-collaborative-adversarial’ trichotomy with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, return the China policy of the U.S. to the right track guided by reason and pragmatism, and put China-U.S. relations on the right path of healthy and stable development,” Wang said.

Wang however criticized the United States for going to great lengths to engage in intense, zero-sum competition with China, even as he said the United States engaged in “provoking China on issues concerning China’s core interests.”

Wang further said that Washington was also piecing together, what he termed small blocs to suppress China, saying that China has every right to defend its legitimate interests.

“This is not how a responsible power should act, or how a credible country does things.

“In a globalized and interdependent world, how China and the U.S. can find the right way forward and manage to get along is both a new question for humanity and a formulation that must be worked out by China and the U.S. together,” Wang also said.

Speaking on the “Summit for Democracy” put together by the United States on December 9, 2021, the Chinese Foreign Minister lambasted the United States for drawing an ideological line between countries and creating division in the world.

“The act violated the spirit of democracy,” Wang further said.

Emphasizing on the diversity of human civilization and democracy in different countries, Wang stated that it is undemocratic to set a standard for democracy after the United States system.

While also criticizing the interference in other countries’ internal affairs in the name of democracy, Wang said: “China practices whole-process people’s democracy.

“It is broad-based, genuine and effective democracy which enjoys the wholehearted endorsement and support of the Chinese people.”