Meet halfway on relations, says Chinese diplomat

China expects the United States to act on the commitments made by US President Joe Biden and meet each other halfway to further stabilize and develop bilateral relations, a visiting Chinese diplomat said on Thursday.

"I have made it clear to the US that China is committed to the stable development of China-US relations, while at the same time firmly safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests," Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said at a briefing with the media in Washington.

"It is not feasible to seek dialogue and cooperation while undermining China's interests, and the Chinese government and people will never accept containment, suppression and deprivation of China's legitimate right to development."

Ma made the remarks after talks with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer in separate meetings on the first day of his four-day trip to the US.

Ma said he had an "extensive and in-depth" exchange of views with Campbell on China-US relations and international and regional issues of common concern, and the discussions were "candid and constructive".

Ma noted that it is in the interests of both countries and the expectations of the international community for China and the US to implement the important consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Biden during their San Francisco meeting in November and further stabilize and grow bilateral relations.

Mutual respect

China will continue to develop bilateral relations based on the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, as proposed by President Xi, the vice-minister said.

He said that during talks with Campbell, he asked the US to honor the commitments made by Biden.

During the November summit, Biden said he has always believed that the US-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world.

Biden reaffirmed the five commitments he made in Bali, Indonesia, a year before — that is, the US does not seek a new Cold War, does not seek to change China's system, does not seek to revitalize its alliances against China, does not support "Taiwan independence", and has no intention to have a conflict with China, according to a Chinese readout of the summit.

At Thursday's meeting, Ma underscored that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations.

"If the US really hopes for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques and honor its promise not to support 'Taiwan independence'," Ma said.

On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ma said China has always maintained an objective and fair position, committed to promoting peace and dialogue, and pushing for a political solution to the crisis.

Ma also met with Finer, and the two sides had a candid and constructive conversation, building on the November summit of the two presidents, according to a readout from the White House.

The two sides discussed ongoing work to continue military-to-military communication and advance cooperation on areas in which their interests are aligned, such as counternarcotics, according to the readout.

It also said US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stopped by and exchanged views with Ma on key issues.