China willing to be partners and friends with US, says top Chinese envoy
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The Sino-US partnership is never a zero-sum game, said China’s Ambassador to Washington Xie Feng.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SHANGHAI – China is willing to be partners and friends with the US, China’s Ambassador to Washington said, seeking to strengthen dialogue between the world’s two largest economies.
China has no plan to surpass or replace the US, Mr Xie Feng said in a speech in Hong Kong on Nov 15, addressing Chinese officials and the US Ambassador to China.
Beijing is seeking to reset relations with Washington ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January.
Trump has pledged to impose tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60 per cent, but Beijing and Chinese companies hope his protectionist policies will also irk US allies in Europe and Asia, giving China an opening to increase its global influence and improve trade ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov 15 called for nations to reject unilateralism and protectionism in favour of economic globalisation.
But some analysts say China’s pitch as a counterbalance to a Trump-led US has lost its shine compared with 2016, when he was first elected.
The Sino-US partnership is never a zero-sum game, Mr Xie said, adding that the two nations have great potential to work together in areas such as trade, agriculture, energy, artificial intelligence and public health.
The Chinese ambassador emphasised a “tone of dialogue” to address each side’s concerns, saying “it is entirely possible to bring issues to the table to communicate frankly, seek solutions on equal footing”.
He added that Taiwan is the biggest “flashpoint” that could lead to conflict and confrontation between Beijing and Washington and called for clear opposition to “separatists” in Taiwan. REUTERS
