China’s ties with the U.S. are at a “new crossroads” heading into President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump calls Georgia Senate runoffs ‘both illegal and invalid’ in New Year’s tweets Judge dismisses Gohmert’s election suit against Pence Ex-GOP senator suggests forming new party, calls Trump ‘ringmaster’ of Republicans MORE’s presidency, a senior Chinese diplomat said Saturday.
Wang Yi, China’s state councilor and foreign minister, said in remarks to state media that relations between Washington and Beijing are coming off a period of “unprecedented difficulty,” and that recent Trump administration policies have harmed the relationship. However, he said the two countries can “open a new window of hope” and start new negotiations on a slate of contentious issues.
“China-U.S. relations have come to a new crossroads, and a new window of hope is opening,” Wang said. “We hope that the next U.S. administration will return to a sensible approach, resume dialogue with China, restore normalcy to the bilateral relations and restart cooperation.
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“China’s policy toward the United States is consistent and stable,” he added. “We are ready to develop with the United States a relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability.”
The remarks come after four years of heightened tensions under the Trump administration.
The White House has torn into China over an array of issues, including trade disputes, intellectual property theft, cyber hacking and more. The administration is currently embroiled in a trade war that has seen millions of dollars in tit-for-tat tariffs slapped on goods from each country.
Biden has indicated that he will try to have a less acrimonious relationship with China. He has cited climate change and combatting the coronavirus as potential areas of cooperation, though he has also said he won’t immediately remove the tariffs that Trump imposed on China.
Wang hinted that economic ties could be a top issue for Beijing during the Biden administration, saying that the U.S. should not try “blocking” its development.
“We know that some in the United States are uneasy about China’s rapid development. However, the best way to keep one’s lead is through constant self-improvement, not by blocking others’ development,” he said. “We believe that as long as the United States can draw lessons from the past and work with China in the same direction, the two countries are capable of resolving differences through dialogue and expanding converging interests by cooperation.”