Foreign minister sticks with quest on US ties

China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang has pledged that he will work to help restore the country's frayed ties with the United States.

Qin, 56, was appointed as foreign minister on Friday after serving as Beijing's top envoy in Washington for 17 months.

"I came to assume office in 2021 at a time of severe challenges for China-US relations," he recalled in one of a series of tweets on Tuesday as he bade farewell to people from all walks of life in the US.

He noted that during his tenure as ambassador, he had been working to implement the common understandings of the presidents of both nations, serving as a bridge and bond of communication between the two countries, and exploring the right way to get along for China and the US in the new era.

"I want to pay sincere thanks to the people of the United States for the strong support and assistance given to me and the Chinese Embassy during this period," he wrote.

He recalled that he had visited 22 states in over 500 days during his stay in the US.

"I went to government agencies, Congress, think tanks, enterprises, factories, ports, farms, schools and sports fields, and made many friends across the US. I have been deeply impressed by so many hardworking, friendly and talented American people that I met," he said.

Dialogue encouraged

As for the way forward, he wrote: "What's past is prologue. Going forward, I will continue to care about and support the growth of China-US relations, encourage dialogue, mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples."

Also, he vowed to work for "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation "between the two countries, and make due efforts for the well-being of the two peoples and for world peace, stability and development.

Earlier on Monday, Qin issued two separate letters to bid farewell to overseas Chinese in the US and Chinese students studying there.

He noted that the total population of overseas Chinese in the US has reached more than 5 million, and they "have become an important part of the pluralistic society in the US".

The overseas Chinese community in the US has worked unswervingly despite unprecedented resistance to find ways to promote people-to-people friendships at a time when China-US relations are at a low. In this way, the community has helped the two countries strengthen mutual understanding, enhance mutual trust, and develop cooperation, Qin wrote.

Writing to the Chinese students, Qin voiced his hope that the students will make more friends, boost exchanges, act as grassroots-level envoys of the China-US friendship, be good tellers of China's stories, and promote the mutual understanding of the peoples of the two countries.