China seeks better US ties while vowing not to cede on Taiwan
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will remain engaged with the US on the basis of mutual respect, but will not “yield an inch” on core interests.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – China has called for a new model for its engagement with the US, seeking to cement a recent thaw with the Trump administration while reinforcing its red line on Taiwan.
“We will promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-US relations,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech at a symposium about foreign relations on Dec 30.
He added that China will remain engaged with the US on the basis of mutual respect, but will not “yield an inch” on core interests.
China’s top diplomat specifically proposed “a new paradigm of positive interaction” with Washington, even as he reiterated Beijing’s opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan.
Mr Wang also repeated the ruling Communist Party’s decades-long position that the “reunification of Taiwan” is a mission that must be achieved.
His remarks come as China conducts one of its most expansive live-fire drills
Despite military support for Taipei, the Trump administration appears intent on keeping relations with Beijing on track.
Asked about the exercises around Taiwan, US President Donald Trump touted his ties to Chinese President Xi Jinping
“I have a great relationship with President Xi, and he hasn’t told me anything about it,” Mr Trump told reporters in a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I certainly have seen it, but he hasn’t told me anything about it. And I don’t believe he’s going to be doing it,” Mr Trump said without elaborating.
Beijing’s calls for more stable US ties build on a one-year trade truce struck with Washington in Busan, South Korea, in October.
The agreement has helped steady relations between the world’s two largest economies, although it is widely viewed as a tactical move by both sides to buy time to reduce mutual dependence in strategic areas, rather than a resolution of fundamental differences.
Under the current arrangement, Mr Trump has secured the resumption of soya-bean sales and rare-earths flows, addressing key political and economic vulnerabilities.
There has also been progress towards an agreement to sell the US operations of ByteDance’s TikTok.
China, in turn, appears to have won significant concessions on the tech front, with the Trump administration allowing Nvidia, AMD and other American firms to resume chip sales to Chinese customers.
The diplomatic momentum is expected to build in 2026, with Mr Trump slated to visit China
Later in the year, China will host the APEC summit and the US will host the Group of 20, major events where the two men are expected to meet again.
Beijing’s outreach to Washington stands in stark contrast to its deepening chill with Tokyo.
Relations have soured following Nov 7 remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who suggested Japan could deploy its military if China attempts to seize Taiwan.
China has demanded a retraction of the comments, but Ms Takaichi has refused to do so, saying that Japan’s policy on Taiwan remains unchanged.
In recent weeks, Beijing has unleashed a wave of punitive measures, such as curbing imports of Japanese seafood and discouraging Chinese residents from visiting Japan.
Speaking at the event organised by the China Institute of International Studies, the Foreign Ministry’s top think-tank, Mr Wang also signalled that Beijing intends to assume a more assertive role on the global stage.
He said China would be “more active” in 2026, positioning the country as a stabilising anchor in a world he described as being at a “turbulent crossroads”. BLOOMBERG
