Share This

Showing posts with label Diplomacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diplomacy. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

China, US reach consensus




Face to face: Blinken (second left) meets with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi (second from right) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. — AP

 

BEIJING: China and the United States announced an agreement to jointly implement the consensus reached at the meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in Bali, Indonesia, in November, and “effectively control differences and promote dialogue, exchanges and cooperation”.

The agreement was reached at the talks between State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Analysts said the meeting on Sunday was the latest positive move for repairing the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

The ties have remarkable bilateral and global implications and mutual respect remains the key to managing differences, they said.

Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday morning for his first visit to China as secretary of state.

“The two sides had candid, in-depth and constructive talks at length on the overall bilateral ties and important issues,” the Foreign Ministry said in a release.

The two sides also exchanged views on major international and regional issues of common concern.

Qin’s meeting with Blinken was the first of its kind between the two in their current capacities.

At the talks, Beijing and Washington agreed to maintain high-level exchanges.

Blinken invited Qin to visit the US, and Qin expressed his willingness to visit the US “at a mutually convenient time”.

The two sides agreed to encourage the expansion of cultural and education exchanges between the two countries and to actively discuss an increase in passenger flights between the nations.

They both will welcome more students, scholars and businesspeople to visit one another, and will provide support and convenience.

Speaking to Blinken on Sunday, Qin said that “currently, China-US relations are at the lowest point since the establishment of the diplomatic relations”, which is not in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the common expectations of the international community.

The two sides should fully implement the consensus of the meeting between Xi and Biden in Bali, and “work to stabilise and steer the relations back to the right track”, he said. — China Daily/ANN

 Source link

Related:

 

It's time to test US' credibility again: Global Times editorial

We hope that after returning to the US, Blinken will comprehensively and objectively convey the information received in China, generating new momentum for stabilizing China-US relations, and never again leaving the impression that the US says one thing and does another.

 

Xi meets Blinken, calling on US to translate statements to actions

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on Monday afternoon.

Qin, Blinken conclude a 'long candid, in-depth, and constructive' talk

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday, with the aim of easing tensions between the two countries and helping steer the bilateral relations into a stable track.

 

 

As US seeks talks with China, decision on bilateral science deal poses test for Washington's sincerity

Even as American officials, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are pursuing talks with their Chinese counterparts aimed at stabilizing a bilateral relationship that is at its nadir, there is growing talk in Washington of letting a landmark bilateral science and technology deal expire later this year.

Related posts:

 

China, US should chart right course for ties, push relations back to healthy, stable track; Compared with China, US has little resonance in developing world

 As agreed upon by both China and the US, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China from June 18 to 19, the Chinese Foreign Min...
 
 
  High-level talks between China and the United States in Tianjin. 史无前例! 中美天津會談 史無前例! 第一次有一個國家……… Unprecedented! China-U.S. Tianjin ...
 

Friday, December 9, 2022

China, Saudi Arabia deepen relations amid development synergy

During their meeting, both leaders discussed cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the matters of science, technology, regional peace and other aspects of society.

 

 Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia to a lavish reception, a welcome seen as a not-so-subtle reminder to the United States that the Saudis can forge other alliances, analyst Nader Hashemi tells CNA’s Asia Now.

 

 

Xi, Saudi king agree to hold regular head-of-state meetings

The national flags of China and Saudi Arabia are seen on the street of Riyadh ahead of the China-Arab States Summit on December 7, 2022. Photo: thepaper.cn

The national flags of China and Saudi Arabia are seen on the street of Riyadh ahead of the China-Arab States Summit on December 7, 2022. Photo: thepaper.cn

  A grand welcoming ceremony, high-level bilateral meetings and wide-covering investment agreements are among proofs that China-Saudi Arabia relations have been lifted to a new high.

On Thursday, President Xi Jinping and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed an agreement on the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and also agreed to hold a meeting between the two heads of state by turns every two years.

Experts believed that Saudi Arabia's industrial diversification endeavor can be a perfect match for China's Belt and Road Initiative and its policy of developing high-tech industries. During the visit, Saudi and Chinese companies signed 34 investment agreements, covering green energy, transportation, logistics, medical industries and construction, local media reported.

In the welcoming ceremony held by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on behalf of King at the royal palace in the capital Riyadh on Thursday, Xi reviewed the guard of honor, who extended the most solemn welcome to the Chinese president with traditional sword-holding etiquette.

Cultural roots

This visit also witnessed the efforts of the two sides to enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. In a signed article published Thursday on the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, Xi said that "China and Saudi Arabia have admired each other and conducted friendly exchanges since ancient times. The prophet Muhammad said, 'Seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China.'" 

Such mutual respect has been carried forward to today. On Thursday China agrees to list Saudi Arabia as a destination for group travel and expand personnel exchanges as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides.

Experts believed that China-Saudi relations play a crucial role in boosting the relations between China and Arab countries, serving as an example as South-South cooperation. As the only G20 member among Arab countries, Saudi Arabia has seen its regional influence grow, playing a leading role in the affairs of GCC as more Arab countries are realizing that compared to China that promotes peace and development in the region, the US instigated conflicts and divergences, imposes extra geopolitical conditions in its cooperation with Arab countries. 

A new level 

Abdulaziz O. Sager, chairman of the Gulf Research Center in Saudi Arabia told the Global Times that China-Saudi Arabia relations is a good role model that can be expanded to different countries in the Middle East region, as the great relationship is based on mutual interests and non-intervention in the domestic issues from both sides. 

"We will not interfere in the issues between the US and China. We will not take US' position when it comes to China. We think our relationship with China is extremely important, and extremely valuable," said Sager. 

China and Saudi Arabia will reportedly sign a plan to harmonize the Kingdom's Vision 2030 with China's Belt and Road Initiative, according to people familiar with the matter.

"There is a lot of complementarities between BRI and the Saudi vision 2030," said Sager, noting this unleashes many opportunities for China and Saudi Arabia to have stronger ties. He expects the China-Saudi Arabia and China-Arab relations to move forward not only from an economic dimension, but to have a political dimension, saying the Arab countries are looking for more constructive engagement with China on regional issues that are of concern to them.  

In the past, many Middle Eastern countries were seen as proxies of the West but are now trying to get rid of such identity by working on development on their own, seeking a balance in cooperation with major powers, Zhu Weilie, director of the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"China-Saudi strategic relations have now entered a new level covering many more areas, and the two countries share similar aspirations in the country's development and reform, especially in green energy and digital economy," Zhu said, adding that deepening cooperation is in line with their own development targets, and it's not targeting any third-party country. 

Fahad Almeniaee, Director of the China and Far East Unit of the Riyadh-based Center for Research and Intercommunication Knowledge, told the Global Times that the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China is a multi-faceted relations ranging from trade to culture. "Xi's visit has been successful by all standards," he emphasized. 

Broader cooperation 

Xi also met with leaders of several other regional countries, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahon, on Thursday.

Commenting on China-Arab States Summit, news site Middle East Eye said the goals of China and the Gulf are aligned in many domains, which means that the summit is only likely to produce new synergies. "It is a growing reality in the Gulf and it is likely that the summit will elevate these economic synergies to a new level and a possible free trade agreement, oil deals in yuan and membership of BRICS Plus would hugely strengthen Gulf-China ties and further challenge US hegemony," the news site said. 

Xi's visit to Saudi Arabia came amid strained US ties with the Middle East country, some US media reports said, which also underlines Beijing's growing influence in the Middle East and draws "inevitable comparison" to a low-key welcome afforded to Biden when he visited Saudi Arabia in July. 

Compared with relations between the US and Arab countries, China's relations with them are based on equality and mutual respect with honesty, unlike the US which brings ideological bias in its interactions with the countries, some experts said. 

"And more Gulf countries understand that when the US mentions 'security,' it has become unsecure for them while China-proposed ideas promoting peace and development are much more welcomed," Wang Guangda, secretary-general of the China-Arab Research Center on Reform and Development at Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times. 

China hopes to promote the benefits for people of the both sides rather than competing with the US in terms of the influence in the region or filling "vacuum" left by the US, Wang said. 

China-GCC relations have achieved sound, steady and comprehensive development, staying at the forefront of China's relations with Arab countries. China has remained the GCC's largest trading partner for a long time. 

In 2021, the trade volume between China and GCC bucked the overall downward trend and rose by 44 percent. And China-GCC relations have set a fine example of cooperation between China and other developing countries. 

Source link

 

MOST VIEWED
1Xi’s Saudi trip to open up new prospects for China-Arab ties

Friday, August 5, 2022

Defending one-China

 

 
 
 

 

 China sanctions US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family members following her Taiwan visit

 

Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Photo: VCG

Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Friday to sanction US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family members because she disregarded China's serious concern and firm opposition and insisted on visiting China's Taiwan region.

It seriously interferes in China's internal affairs, undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, tramples on the one-China principle and threatens peace and stability in Taiwan Straits, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said. 

 Source link 

 

Nancy Pelosi: The sneaky opportunist

;

Pelosi can come to Taiwan and go, but what about the people there?



China fires ballistic missiles into waters around Taiwan

 China denounces U.S. and NATO statements on Taiwan, says U.S. is to blame fo rising tensions

Chinese foreign minister resolutely rebukes G7 statement over Taiwan region

G7 statement on Taiwan sheer ‘piece of waste paper’, says Chinese FM

Friday, March 18, 2022

China sends tough signal ahead of Xi-Biden talk to set firm position on bilateral ties, Ukraine issue

 

Yang Jiechi (1st L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (1st R) in Rome, Italy, March 14, 2022.(Photo: Xinhua)

 The Point:Xi & Biden to talk Ukraine

Just hours before the phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on Friday, China, in a rare move, sent tough signals, stating it will never accept US threats and coercion over the Ukraine issue and vowing to make a strong response if the US takes measures harming China's legitimate interests.
`
In an exclusive interview with the Global Times, an anonymous Chinese official said China accepted the US' proposal for the phone call between the heads of the two countries on China-US relations and the Ukraine situation out of considerations of bilateral relations, promoting peace talks and urging the US to take right stance.
`
China will never accept US threats and coercion, and if the US takes measures that harm China's legitimate interests and the interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals, China will not sit idly by and will make a strong response, the official stressed, noting the US should not have any illusions or miscalculations about this.
`
China's strong signals were sent as the Biden administration has intensified its disinformation campaign over China's "military support" to Russia and attempted to threaten China with "dire consequences."
`
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Biden will make clear during Friday's call that China will "bear responsibility for any actions it takes to support Russia's aggression, and we will not hesitate to impose costs," he told a media briefing.
`
Chinese analysts said China's clear statement on its stand is very necessary and timely, when the US seeks to manipulate Friday's talk to coerce China to change its diplomatic position, provoke China-Russia relations and smear China's image, which is sinister and vicious.
`
China is sending a stern warning to the Biden administration not to harbor any illusions of changing China in Friday night's talk, and is urging Biden to calm down on the practical issues of the two countries, analysts said.
`
Just days after the Rome meeting between senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the US reached out to China again for a higher-level meeting, which in some Chinese analysts' view reflected the US' growing anxiety over the uncontrollable consequences of the worsening Ukraine crisis, especially after its attempt to change China's position failed in Rome and the US is in dire need of China's help to deal with the chaos it created but failed to handle.
`
Friday's scheduled phone call is being made as the US is caught in double plight: worrying about possible nuclear conflict with Russia with its extreme pressure against it and the risk of a rapid escalation of conflicts with China over the Taiwan question, Chinese analysts said, noting the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue will be high on the agenda of the exchange.
`
Behind the Biden administration's designed pressuring on China was its deep anxiety and pressing need for help from China on the Ukraine crisis, Li Haidong, a professor from the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
`
"Friday's meeting for the US is far more urgent than other issues Biden has dealt with since he took office. The exchange will be held as the US, under extreme urgent circumstances, requested to have exchanges with China on Ukraine," Li said.
`
Some American media are also aware of the US' dilemma. In covering Friday's exchange, Bloomberg News said in its headline that, "Biden looks to China for help with Putin." An opinion piece for Bloomberg said the worse Russia does, "the greater the risks America and its European allies may face."
`
The Ukraine issue is the consequence of accumulated problems between the US and Russia or the US-led NATO's continuous pressuring and challenging of Russia's security, thus the US, deep inside, does not expect China to solve it, but it still wants to draw China into its mess or ask China to help it out since the current situation is beyond its expectations and it will become harder for the US to avoid being directly involved in it, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
`
Lü pointed out that Biden has been naïve for thinking that Russia will not fight back when faced with the US' provocations, and now he is using fuel to put out the fire in Ukraine while being afraid the fire will reach NATO.
`
However, the US on one hand is seeking China's help with the worsening Ukraine crisis that it created but failed to handle; on the other hand, it is pressuring and threatening China, which is typical American practice, Li said, noting that it is unwise and counterproductive.
`
"If the US harbors an illusion that China will yield to its pressure on the Ukraine crisis and China-Russia relations, it only reflects that the US has a too superficial understanding of current complex international situations and the right and wrong of facts," Li said.
`
Many of the US and West's sanctions against Russia were done purely via long-arm jurisdiction without permission from the UN. And such a practice of framing relations with other countries based on its domestic law and forcing third countries to accept it is undoubtedly contrary to the spirit of international law and the principles of the UN Charter,Chinese analysts said.
`
While trying to drag China into the mess the US created, Washington is also smearing China-Russia relations with rumors and disinformation to sow discord between the two.
`
After Sullivan warned China that it would "absolutely face consequences" if it helped Moscow evade sanctions, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova denounced Sullivan's remarks on Thursday, saying it is another manifestation of Washington's imperialist and hegemonic ambitions. China-Russia relations have strong internal momentum, which are not affected by international changes, she said.
`
China and Russia have reiterated there is no military cooperation, and the high-level strategic partnership between the two countries has never targeted any third party, nor will it be affected by any third party. This is a key point that the US and the West never understand, analysts said.
`
China has developed bilateral relations with Russia and the US respectively and it does not use bilateral relations to target Russia or the US. Currently, the conflicts between the US and Russia and between China and the US all have roots in the US, and the US is trying to sow discord between Russia and China, Lü said, noting that this is why China has reiterated that the US' actions should fit its remarks.
`
Explosive issue on China-US relations
`
Lü said that the US should not expect other countries to solve the mess it made in Ukraine while it still ramps up assistance and offers weapons to Ukraine. Therefore, China will still focus the talks between the top leaders on China-US relations and how bilateral relations will develop.
`
While driving Russia into a corner on the Ukraine issue, the US has also tried to drive China into a corner with the most "explosive issue" for bilateral ties - the Taiwan question, Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times.
`
The US has been quickly advancing its Indo-Pacific strategy using Taiwan as its pawn, and kept sending wrong signals to Taiwan secessionists by sending former American diplomats to visit the island, which shows its conflict with China over Taiwan question is rapidly escalating, Yang said.
`
Some US officials also hyped the relevance of the Ukraine issue with the Taiwan question, but the two are fundamentally different.
`
Top US Air Force General Kenneth Wilsbach connected the situation in Ukraine with the question of Taiwan, claiming that one of the "key lessons" the Chinese are taking from the Ukraine situation is the "solidarity of the global community," and that if China behaves in a similar way against the island or another neighbor, "something more robust will happen."
`
The Chinese side will stress that the US has to take seriously China's major concerns regarding its own core interests, and if the US does not take seriously China's concern but just wants to seek China's help for its own purposes, such pattern of interaction would not work out but only inject more uncertainty into China-US relations, analysts warned. 

 Source link

RELATED ARTICLES
 

 
`Beijing's current policies toward Russia and the US have high support among the people

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1255046.shtml

US fails to trap China over Ukraine at Yang-Sullivan meeting

On the same day as a seven-hour meeting between senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Rome on Monday which was described by some media outlets as "intense," US Air Force General Kenneth Wilsbach blatantly threatened to teach China a lesson from the Ukraine situation, which could be applied to the Taiwan question. Such conceit was defied by the first direct high-level engagement between Chinese and US officials over the situation in Ukraine on which Washington had tried to misguide Beijing to serve its own interests, although failing to do so as the Chinese side stressed its consistent stance on the issue and urged the US side to correct its wrong words and deeds.

 

 Related posts

 

  `The horrific truth about the biological research labs in Ukraine.   AMERICA  CAUGHT   OPERATING  MANY   SECRET  BIO-WEAPON  LABS I...
 
. A veteran of the Ukrainian national guard's Azov Battalion conducts military exercises for civilians in Kyiv, Ukraine on January 30, 2
 
 
Editor's Note:  US-funded bio-labs reportedly discovered in Ukraine have attracted global attention as many question the US' incons...
 
 
  Photo: VCG Life-long trauma: CIA mind control program victims speak out   ; Julie Tanny's father Charles Tanny Photo: Courtesy of Jul...
 
 
 Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv on February 24, 2022, after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a...

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Xi-Biden’s rare long virtual meet concludes, ‘injects certainty into bilateral ties’




Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday morning (Beijing time), the first face-to-face meeting virtually since Biden took office. (Photo: Xinhua)

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US President Joe Biden on Tuesday morning (Beijing time), the first face-to-face meeting virtually since Biden took office. (Photo: Xinhua)

Chinese President Xi Jinping had thorough and in-depth communication and exchanges with US President Joe Biden in a rare long virtual meeting on Tuesday morning (Beijing time) during which they discussed strategic, overarching and fundamental issues on bilateral relations.

The first face-to-face virtual meeting between the top two leaders lasted three hours and a half after they opened their talks on a friendly note. Chinese observers said that the meeting will inject certainty into the bilateral ties and is sending a signal that the two countries will cooperate in many areas despite they could not avoid fierce competition, and the fact that they are trying to manage competition is itself a positive sign for the world.

A video released by China Central Television showed that Xi hailed Biden as an old friend in the opening remarks, saying that he was very happy to see his old friend and it's crucial for China and the US to work together in addressing common challenges.

Both China and the US are at critical stages of development, and the "global village" of humanity faces multiple challenges, the Chinese president said.

As the world's two largest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, China and the US need to increase communication and cooperation, each run their domestic affairs well and, at the same time, shoulder their share of international responsibilities, and work together to advance the noble cause of world peace and development, Xi told Biden.

A sound and steady China-US relationship is needed for advancing the two countries' respective development and for safeguarding a peaceful and stable international environment, including finding effective responses to global challenges such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi stressed.

"China and the US should respect each other, coexist in peace, and pursue win-win cooperation," he said, expressing his readiness to work with Biden to build consensus and take active steps to move China-US relations forward in a positive direction.

The Chinese President laid out three principles and four priority areas for the China-US relations. In terms of principles, the two countries firstly need to respect each other's social systems and development paths, respect each other's core interests and major concerns, and respect each other's right to development.

They also need to treat each other as equals, keep differences under control, and seek common ground while reserving differences. The other two principles include peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. No conflict and no confrontation is a line that both sides must hold, the Chinese President said.

The US side has suggested coexistence between China and the US. One more word can be added to make it peaceful coexistence, Xi said. With their interests deeply intertwined, China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.

The world is big enough for the two countries to develop individually and collectively. The right thing to do is to choose mutual benefit over zero-sum game or the I-win-you-lose approach, Xi said.

Photo:Xinhua
Photo:Xinhua

The most important event in international relations in the coming 50 years will be for China and the US to find the right way to get along. History is a fair judge. What a statesman does, be it right or wrong, be it an accomplishment or a failure, will all be recorded by history. It is hoped that President Biden will demonstrate political leadership and steer US' China policy back on the track of reason and pragmatism, Xi said.

Biden told Xi that he was looking forward to a "candid and forthright discussion" as in the past and he believed it is the responsibility of the two countries' top leaders to ensure "the competition between our countries does not veer into conflict."

We need to build the guardrail of commonsense, be clear and honest about our differences, and work together on areas of mutual interest, especially on major global issues like climate change. The relationship between our two countries has a huge impact not only on our two countries, but on the whole world, Biden said.

While Biden insisting that the US is not seeking a new cold war, Xi said he hopes that the US can meet its word of not seeking a "new Cold War" with concrete actions.

While Biden made three promises, including not seek to change China's system, the revitalization of its alliances is not anti-China and have no intention to have clash with China, Xi expressed hope for the US to fulfill its promises.

In terms of four priority areas, Xi stressed that the two countries should shoulder responsibilities of major countries and lead global response to outstanding challenges, and act in the spirit of equality and mutual benefit to move forward exchanges at all levels and in all areas and generate more positive energy for China-US relations.

Also, the two countries need to manage differences and sensitive issues in a constructive way to prevent China-US relations from getting derailed or out of control, and strengthen coordination and cooperation on major international and regional hotspot issues to provide more public goods to the world.

The atmosphere of the meeting, to some extent, reflected a pretty good personal relationship between the two leaders, which has already been underscored in the previous phone calls, Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"It's also rare for heads of state to have such a long conversation, and such a good relationship is seen as a positive condition for handling bilateral ties," Wu said.

The virtual summit could enhance political trust between the two countries, which plays an important role for current and future development of bilateral relations and it's conducive for improving the atmosphere of bilateral relations, he continued.

The China-US relationship is undoubtedly the most important relationship between major powers in today's international relations. The ongoing virtual summit is sending a signal to the world that China and the US will cooperate in many areas despite they could not avoid fierce competition, according to Chinese experts.

"The fact that China and the US are trying to manage competition is itself a positive sign for the world," Wu said.

On the Taiwan question, Xi said we have the patience and will strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and efforts. But if the separatist forces for "Taiwan independence" provoke us, force our hands or even cross the red line, we will be compelled to take resolute measures, Xi said.

The US President reaffirmed the US government's long-standing one-China policy, stated that the US does not support "Taiwan independence", and expressed the hope for peace and stability to be maintained in the Taiwan Straits.

The virtual meeting was held during the working hours in China but late night in the US, which clearly shows which side is more eager. From the interactions in Anchorage in Alaska in March, to Tianjin in China in July and Zurich in Switzerland in October, China gradually has the initiative of the bilateral relations. The era for the US to unilaterally define the bilateral ties has ended and the two countries have entered into a period of equal and fair dialogue, Wang Dong, an expert on China-US relations at Peking University, told the Global Times.

The first half of the virtual meeting finished at 10:45 am after two hours of exchanging views on issues of common concern.

Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng are among the attendees to the meeting.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, White House Asia adviser Kurt Campbell and Laura Rosenberger, a US foreign policy veteran are among the US officials to the meeting, according to media reports.

The top leaders had spoken twice over the phone, in February and September.

The meeting, which lasted for rarely long of three hours and a half, concluded at 12:24 Tuesday noon Beijing time, which is midnight in Washington.

  Source link

 

RELATED ARTICLES

Friday, October 8, 2021

Can China-US Zurich meeting bear fruits?

 

https://youtu.be/YXr62g1ltaY 

China And America Had A Talk In Zurich, Will There Still Be A Cold War?

https://youtu.be/KBOXR-HFX8w 

 China does not make principled concessions and insists on doing its own thing well. This fundamental strategy is getting results: Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin #HuSays

 

https://youtu.be/hhY5J0iUa_s

'Constructive' China-U.S. Talks: An Icebreaker?

   Yang Jiechi (1st R), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met here Wednesday with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (1st L) (Photo: Xinhua)
Yang Jiechi (1st right), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met Wednesday with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (1st left) (Photo: Xinhua)


On Wednesday, Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for six hours of talks in Zurich, Switzerland. The press releases issued by both sides were more positive in their respective contexts. This suggests that the meeting was productive.

Both sides have talked about implementing the spirit of the phone call between Chinese and US heads of state on September 10. There were no negative descriptions and accusations against the other side in both public press releases. There was only more subtle language about the differences between the two countries. US officials told the media that the two sides also discussed the possibility of a video meeting between the two heads of state by the end of this year.

However, if we compare the press releases from both sides, there are serious differences between the two countries that can still been seen. Yang stressed that China opposes defining China-US relations as "competitive." He advocated that the US side should have a deep understanding of the mutually beneficial nature of the bilateral relations and correctly understand China's domestic and foreign policies and strategic intentions. However, Washington's press release mentioned "competition" twice in the US' usual context. It has also used the wording of "responsible competition" as in the US' several recent statements and emphasized managing risks.

It is obvious that Washington's strategic definition of the China-US relations and the basic thinking behind their policy toward Beijing remains the same. The State Department's press release emphasized that it will continue to invest in US national strength and work closely with allies and partners. This is the same as the US' oft-repeated theme of speaking "from a position of strength" and strengthening the alliance system to compete fiercely with China.

However, the US side has recently talked less about "confrontation" along with competition and cooperation. It has been repeatedly emphasizing that it does not want to see a "new Cold War." It wants to prevent competition from escalating into confrontation. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai also said that the US does not pursue decoupling, but is willing to a "recoupling" on a new basis. In addition, it is also obvious that the US side's attitude toward China has been adjusted. Examples include the release of Meng Wanzhou and Washington getting ready to restart the China-US economic and trade consultations and other actions and positive statements.

China's fundamental strategy of not making principled concessions and insisting on doing its own thing is taking effect. The US side always says it wants to speak "from a position of strength," but its strength is far from sufficient to achieve its ambitions to contain China's development. The US has been hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, which has killed more than 700,000 people so far. It has not only plunged the US economy deeper into abusing stimulus mode, but also exposed the fundamental weaknesses of the US system and weakened its global influence.

By strengthening its alliance system, the US has mainly roped in Australia and Japan. In the past, Canberra and Tokyo used Washington's power to intimidate other countries. But now, it seems to be the other way around. The US' comprehensive offensive against China has quickly shown signs of fatigue.

To some extent, the reality has taught Washington a crisp lesson. The US has to alleviate some conflicts with China which are out of its ability. It also adjusted the pace of its China policy. At a time when anti-China public opinion is rampant in the US, the room for such adjustments is limited. Public announcements will be particularly restricted by domestic US politics. Therefore, Chinese people should not have illusions about the Biden administration's change of course. We should use our own solid actions to increase our firm leading power in China-US relations.

It must be noted that we have strong endurance in sticking to the current path toward the US. The US strategy toward China is very imaginative, but it cannot be supported by its ability. While the US is repeatedly discussing infrastructure construction, China's infrastructure construction has taken another step forward. The US' alliance system is becoming more and more complicated. For example, Paris, its traditional ally, is angry with Washington. Berlin is still going against Washington's will on the Nord Stream 2 deal. The US' failure in Afghanistan has made all of Washington's allies bitterly disappointed.

The US cannot achieve these deeds effortlessly. However, China can accumulate strategic initiatives by doing its own things well. China follows a pragmatic and reliable path.

We hope to see China-US relations find constructive changes. However, there are still many obstacles for the two sides to move closer in terms of their perceptions and expectations toward each other. The US has a deep hegemonic mindset, and it won't engage in reflection unless it fails. China must, by doing its own things well, make the US realize that ultimately it is impossible to contain China's development. By sticking to this approach and direction, US' China policy will gradually adapt to reality. The US will seek maximum interests by exploring coexistence and cooperation with China

Source link

 

RELATED ARTICLES
 

After a fierce, tit-for-tat opening, the close-door strategic dialogue afterward between China and the US in Alaska went 

 

China expresses grave concern about the accident involving US submarine USS Connecticut hitting an unknown object in the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Friday, urging the US to clarify more details about the accident, its purpose of cruising in the area, and whether it has caused a nuclear leak that has damaged the local marine environment.

 

Related posts:

 

中美高层战略对话在即 美不行待客之道 中方严正回应! 20210319 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际 中国核心利益没有退让余地 中美需避免零和博弈管控分歧 20210320 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际

 

Chinese diplomats state China's position in the opening remarks of the China-US high-level strategic dialogue in Anchorage, Alaska, on T...
 

China's tough stance in Alaska turns heads

 

THE GLOCALISATION OF HUMANITY 

 

Moral vacuum at the heart of modernity, now embodied in US laws!

  ` ` MAN and nature are running out of time. That’s the core message of the UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change ...

Moral vacuum at the heart of modernity, now embodied in US laws!

` In short, historically it was the Church that gave the moral blessing for colonisation, slavery and genocide during the Age of Globalisation. The tragedy is that the Doctrine of Discovery is now embodied in US laws.

 

 

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Major progress for China’s diplomacy as US heeds call from Chinese request list to release Meng Wanzhou

 https://youtu.be/9B7DybgHA1o 

 China Is Greeting Meng Wanzhou As A National Hero. How About Two Michaels?

 
https://youtu.be/IAwJbyqZ4_Y

 Meng Wanzhou waves to a cheering crowd as she steps out of a charter plane at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 25, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Hard-won victory reflects legal, political wrestling; good for ties


When many Chinese woke up Saturday morning surprisingly learning that the return of Huawei's Meng Wanzhou to China became a reality, some said it was the best news in quite a while.

The high-profile case of Meng, which has become a political dilemma significantly affecting the global geopolitical landscape, has been settled through both legal channels and political wrestling, experts said, noting that China, the US and Canada have seen the best scenario with much compromise made by the Biden administration in resolving the matter. It also helped pave the way for the positive interaction between the world's largest economies in the near future amid strained China-US relations.

It was also one mistake of the US administration that has been corrected in line with the request of China, as China put forward two lists to the US during the bilateral talks in Tianjin in July, including the List of US Wrongdoings that Must Stop which urged the US to release Meng, showing that Beijing's US policies began taking effect and remaining mistakes of the US have to be corrected.

Meng Wanzhou speaks to media outside the British Columbia Supreme Court in Canada on Friday. Photo: cnsphoto

Meng Wanzhou speaks to media outside the British Columbia Supreme Court in Canada on Friday. Photo: cnsphoto

After being separated for more than 1,000 days, she finally reunited with her family and such an emotional moment also aroused reactions from ordinary Chinese people who firmly believe that the motherland will always be "on their back" and save them from crisis.

"The color red, symbolizing China, lightens the brightness in my heart," Meng said in a post shared on her WeChat moment on her fight back home, noting that she deeply appreciates the motherland and the leadership of the Communist Party of China, as without them, she would not have been freed.

An official report by the Xinhua News Agency said thanks to sustained efforts by the Chinese government, Meng left Canada on a chartered plane arranged by the Chinese government on Friday local time. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also welcomed her return in a post on his personal Weibo account.

"Meng's return once again shows China's steadfast position in defending the rights and interests of Chinese citizens in its diplomacy with the US and overall foreign diplomacy," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Such firm position is also being taken as the backbone for Chinese citizens and companies overseas, inspiring numerous Huawei staff amid the US-led severe crackdown on its 5G technologies and sanctions over the past three years. On her return, dozens of Huawei employees shared the moment on their personal accounts, saying that with the support of the government, they would never yield to any unilateral foreign sanctions or bullying.

Many ordinary Chinese cheered Meng's return, posting welcome notes on social media. Chinese netizens were also thrilled at the news. Topics related to Meng's return topped the search list of Sina Weibo for almost the whole day, with relevant posts being read more than 100 million times.

The Global Times reporter saw crowds gathering at Shenzhen Baoan Airport with Welcome Home banners, and they cheered on Meng's return. Some were family members and relatives of Huawei staff, and they hailed the senior executive as a role model in facing US hegemony and a national hero, while more than 30 million netizens watched her arrival on livestream.

The Ping'an International Financial Center, a landmark skyscraper in Shenzhen, was lit up on Saturday evening to welcome Meng's return.

Meng waves to the crowd after her arrival at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.(Photo: Xinhua)

Meng waves to the crowd after her arrival at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.(Photo: Xinhua)

Hard-won victory 
 
In a video seen by the Global Times, a GPS tracker ankle bracelet that Meng had worn for over two years was removed on Friday, leaving a bruise on her ankle that some Chinese netizens considered "an impressive memory" about US bullying and political persecution against a Chinese citizen.

It has never been an easy fight for the defense team of Meng over the past two years, who has been battling with the help of the Western legal tools against extradition to the US, and reached a "pretty good" result in the eyes of both Chinese and foreign legal experts after the marathon-like legal proceedings.

Meng appeared virtually in an American federal courtroom in Brooklyn on Friday, and reached a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in a case of federal charges against her for bank and wire fraud. Under the terms of the agreement, Meng will not be prosecuted further in the US and the extradition proceedings in Canada will be terminated, according to a statement of William Taylor, one of the lawyers who represented Meng.

"She has not pleaded guilty and we fully expect the indictment to be dismissed with prejudice after 14 months. Now, she will be free to return home to be with her family," he said.

The senior executive of Huawei was arrested by Canadian authorities in December 2018 at the behest of the US, who remained under detention in Canada pending a Canadian judge's ruling on the US' extradition request for nearly three years. Meng and her defense team made the final push against extradition to the US, and the legal proceedings ended on August 18 without a decision.

A statement from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said that under the terms of the DPA, Meng acknowledged that she knowingly made false statement to a financial institution in Iran-related transactions, and agreed not to commit other federal, state or local crimes.

"It's a pretty good deal," Gary Botting, a Canadian legal expert and author of several books on extradition, told the Global Times on Saturday, noting that through the case, many believe that the US is in no position to lead the world like a "police," and hopefully, the US judge presiding over the prosecution of Meng will see that.

Some Chinese legal experts said that it's not accurate to  take a DPA as a guilty plea agreement, like some Western media reported, as any arrangement should be accepted by all parties. Without paying a hefty fine or admitting guilt in court is also considered a good arrangement, experts said, noting that the US would make much more compromise to "pull out a nail set by the US" in China-Canada and China-US relations.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times early Saturday that there are multiple factors driving the US to resolve this issue, including the consistent attitude of the Chinese government in urging the US and Canada to release Meng, and the mounting pressure that Canada has been facing as it clearly knows that if it insists on the extradition of Meng to the US, it would create irretrievable negative consequences on China-Canada relations, and also the unjustified procedures with the lack of evidence throughout the legal proceedings in Canada would further extend the legal battle many years.

Photo:Cui Meng/GT

Photo:Cui Meng/GT

Political wrestling

The day Meng flew back home, Canadian media reported that two Canadians - Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor - left China on a plane to Canada. Spavor was sentenced in August in China to 11 years in prison after being convicted of spying on China's national secrets. He was ordered deported from China.

Although some Western media outlets and politicians claimed the release of the two Canadians was an example of "hostage diplomacy," experts said Meng was a "political hostage" taken by the US and Canada, noting that mounting evidence throughout the legal proceedings during Meng's fight against extradition showed she was the victim of political prosecution.

"In Spavor's case, imposing the order of deportation means he may not serve his jail time in China but will be deported to Canada. It leaves room for indictment while unleashing a gesture of goodwill," Qin Qianhong, a constitutional law professor at Wuhan University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Kovrig and Spavor were charged by the Prosecutor General's Office in China for crimes undermining China's national security in June 2020. Spavor was convicted of spying on China's national secrets and was ordered deported from China, a court in Dandong, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, announced on August 11.

Spavor was found to have taken photos and video of Chinese military equipment on multiple occasions and illegally provided some of those photos to people outside China, which have been identified as second-tier state secrets, a source close to the matter told the Global Times on September 1.

Chinese officials and diplomats reiterated that the incident of Meng is different from the cases of the two Canadians in nature.

China's position on Meng's case is consistent and clear, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Saturday. Facts have fully proved that this is an incident of political persecution against Chinese citizen, with the purpose of suppressing China's high-tech enterprises, she noted.

The accusation of Meng's so-called "fraud" is purely fabricated, she said, noting that even HSBC, which the US refers to as a "victim," has issued documents sufficient to prove her innocence. The actions of the US and Canada were typical arbitrary detention, the spokesperson added.

"There are flexibilities in legal proceedings around the world with different factors considered, which is sometimes embedded with the nature of humanity. Releasing the two Canadian citizens unlocks the bottleneck in China-Canada ties, which was expected," Lü said.

For Canada, which made a wrong political choice of being an accomplice of the US, it is still bearing the "bitter fruits." The deal can also help it ease strained ties with China, especially in trade, experts said.

He Weiwen, a former senior Chinese trade official, said Canada should make a further step if it wants to mend ties with China. "For instance, to show a positive attitude in China's participation in the CPTPP."

The deal indicates that the US has started to face up to the bottom lines China has drawn for further cooperation, and Washington is now "correcting mistakes it has made," experts said, noting that "it might be a turning point for China-US relations."

China in July put forward two lists to the US during talks in North China's Tianjin, one of which was the List of US Wrongdoings that Must Stop and the other the List of Key Individual Cases that China Has Concerns with.

China's attitude toward the US and Meng's case has been clear: her release is a must, and it seems bilateral ties are moving forward based on the two lists China put forward, Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Saturday.

In the List of US Wrongdoings, China urged the US to revoke the extradition request for Meng among other requests.

In the list, China also urged the US to unconditionally revoke the visa restrictions over CPC members and their families, revoke sanctions on Chinese leaders, officials and government agencies, and remove visa restrictions on Chinese students.

In the other List of Key Individual Cases, China expressed serious concerns to the US on some key individual cases, including some Chinese students' visa applications being rejected, Chinese citizens receiving unfair treatment in the US, Chinese diplomatic and consular missions being harassed and rammed into by perpetrators in the US, growing anti-Asian and anti-China sentiment, and Chinese citizens suffering violent attacks.

Gao said the US' decision was obvious, since many things in the world such as climate change and the pandemic fight require China-US cooperation. And the US has been hurt from the deteriorating ties - inflation and debt - which made it urgent for the US to mend ties with China.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said she would seek to improve US business ties with China. Raimondo said she plans to lead delegations of US chief executives overseas, including to China, to hunt for business and discuss longstanding trade issues, though nothing has yet been put on the calendar.

The US also realizes that measures that aim to suppress and contain China are useless. In the end, the world's two largest economies must return to the right track of cooperation, Gao said.

Landmark buildings in Shenzhen exhibit giant slogans welcoming Meng's return.(Photo: Xinhua)
Landmark buildings in Shenzhen exhibit giant slogans welcoming Meng's return.(Photo: Xinhua)

Not to lose guard

Although the deal with the DOJ ended up with no crime and no punishment as Meng admitted wrongdoing but without a guilty plea, the agreement pertains only on Meng, Reuters said, noting that the DOJ said it is preparing for a trial against Huawei and looks forward to proving its case in court.

Huawei said in a statement on Saturday that the company expected Meng's return and reunion with her family. Meanwhile, the company will safeguard its interests in the lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York.

Some experts also warned that though the landmark progress of the incident created a positive atmosphere for China-US ties to return to the right path, Washington has created too much trouble over the past few years in confronting China, and some severely challenged Beijing's sovereignty. It will unlikely give up its plan of suppressing China's high-tech development.

"It will be difficult to see fundamental changes in the bilateral relationship in the next few years, unless the US takes more brave and active moves in improving ties," Li said.

Meanwhile, China-Canada relations have entered a period of debugging. Obstacles to the smooth development of China-Canada relations have been clearly removed. It also created conditions for Trudeau's China policy afterwards, he noted.

For Huawei, struggling on its track of transforming from a hardware maker to software provider amid the still tight US chip ban is still a long-term work, which has been gradually making progress.

"The transformation process is painful, since it's a transformation of the business model. But the good news is that we have gradually changed," Xu Zhijun, Huawei's rotating chairman, said during a roundtable interview Friday, noting that a frequent reshuffle of its senior executives is a reflection of how hard the transformation process is.

Key events in Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's case. Graphic: GT

 
 
RELATED ARTICLES
 

 GT Voice: Meng's homecoming a rare chance to reset China-US relations

 

While many observers expect the return of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou to create a relatively favorable atmosphere for US-China relations, some stubborn anti-China forces can't help but flagrantly ...