Renewal hope expressed for ties with US
Chinese envoy wants obstacles gone to enable return to constructive path
A Chinese diplomat on Wednesday expressed hope that the United States will remove “unreasonable restrictions on bilateral cooperation” as the two nations entered a new chapter of diplomatic relations.
“We hope that the US side will remove unreasonable restrictions on bilateral cooperation as early as possible and not create new obstacles,” said Zhang Ping, China’s consul general in Los Angeles.
Speaking on Wednesday at a webinar titled A New Year, A New Vision: China & US Relations, Zhang noted that 2020 was the most challenging year for the bilateral relationship during which a “political virus” eroded the hard-won achievements of ties.
“We hope the relationship could be repaired and improved and go back to a predictable and constructive track of development, and the two countries could build a model of interaction that focuses on peaceful existence and win-win cooperation. This is also the expectation of all other countries in the world,” Zhang told the forum, which was organized by San Diego State University,
The inauguration in January of US President Joe Biden brought the relationship to a new crossroads, with new opportunities and challenges, Zhang told the 200 or so attendees made up mostly of students and faculty members.
Moving the China-US relationship back on the right track requires both sides to move in the same direction, to display courage, demonstrate foresight and stay on the right side of history to make the right decisions, he said.
The previous US administration had pursued “misguided” policies toward China by seeing the nation as a major strategic competitor or even an adversary, Zhang said. China has stuck to the path of peaceful development and has no intention of challenging or replacing the US.
China’s US policy is stable and consistent. It is prepared to work with the US to move the relationship forward along the track of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, the envoy said.
Zhang recognized the existence of competition between the US and China, but he pointed out that the two nations need not be adversaries. Instead, they should strive to be partners, he said.
“The competition between China and the US should be like competing with each other for excellence in a racing field, not beating each other in a wrestling arena,” he said.
Zhang reiterated that China and the US share many common interests and could cooperate on a wide range of potential areas.
It is estimated that China will import as much as $22 trillion in goods from foreign countries in the next 10 years. That will open up market opportunities to other countries and inject momentum into the world economy, he said. Zhang urged both sides to take advantage of those opportunities to expand practical cooperation.
The trade relationship is very important to both countries. According to Zhang, even during the pandemic, trade between the two countries grew by more than 8 percent to over $580 billion.
Subnational cooperation
To facilitate bilateral cooperation, the envoy emphasized the importance of avoiding the “national security” concept and to prevent political manipulation, stigmatization and demonization.
Zhang also stressed the need to strengthen subnational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
Southern California has long enjoyed close ties with China, which helped to bring tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries, he said. Before the pandemic hit, there were nearly 100 flights between Chinese cities and Los Angeles every week.
He noted that 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the advent of ping-pong diplomacy and the first visit to China of then US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.
“We have every reason to believe no matter what challenges the relationship might encounter, so long as we have the support of our two peoples, the China-US relationship will have a bright future,” Zhang said.