China urges U.S. to meet halfway for dialogue and win-win cooperation

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday urged the United States to meet China halfway and define China-U.S. interactions by dialogue and win-win cooperation, not confrontation and zero-sum competition.

The U.S. Department of State spokesperson has recently repeatedly talked about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China, saying that Blinken will discuss with China how to responsibly manage competition, strengthen cooperation in addressing transnational challenges and express his concerns to China on issues including Taiwan, fentanyl, Ukraine the Korean Peninsula.

Commenting on the spokesperson’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the Chinese side always grows its relations with the U.S. in accordance with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

“At the same time, we will firmly defend our sovereignty, security and development interests,” Mao warned, adding that China does not shy away or flinch from competition.

She said the Chinese side is against defining the entire China-U.S. relations by competition and seeking containment and suppression in the name of competition.

Stressing that China is willing to communicate and cooperate with the U.S. side in bilateral and multilateral areas based on the principles of equality, reciprocity and mutual respect, Mao said the U.S. “cannot expect to interfere in China’s internal affairs and harm China’s interests on one hand while hoping for communication and cooperation from China on the other.”

The spokesperson also said the Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations.

In terms of the fentanyl abuse issue, Mao said China is the first in the world to have officially scheduled fentanyl as a class, adding that China has taken an active part in international counternarcotics law enforcement cooperation under the framework of the UN conventions on drug control.

Mao said U.S. sanctions on related Chinese institutions have since severely impacted and limited China’s counternarcotics capability and that the U.S. should remedy the fentanyl abuse at home rather than accusing others and shifting the blame.

On the Ukraine issue and the Korean Peninsula issue, the spokesperson reiterated that China is always committed to promoting peace and negotiation in seeking a political resolution of these issues and opposes words and deeds that add fuel to the fire and intensify the conflicts.

Mao called on the U.S. side to take practical action to bring bilateral relations back on the right track of healthy and stable development.