The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, the most consequential issue and the most pronounced risk in the China-US relationship, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Sunday during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing.
During the talks, Qin expounded on China's firm position and raised clear demands on the Taiwan question and other core interests and major concerns. He urged the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and truly deliver on its commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence".
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Director Wang Yi and Qin Gang described the talks as candid and in-depth.
“The Chinese side has made its position clear, and the two sides have agreed to follow through the common understandings President (Joe) Biden and I had reached in Bali,” President Xi said. “The two sides also made progress and reached agreement on some specific issues.
“State-to-state interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. I hope that Secretary Blinken, through this visit, could make positive contribution to stabilising China-U.S. relations,” Xi said.
Back on track
The Chinese foreign minister said the China-US relationship is at the lowest point since its establishment, which does not serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples or meet the shared expectations of the international community.
China's policy toward the US remains consistent and stable, guided by the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Qin said. These principles should be jointly upheld, the red line jointly defended and the goal jointly pursued by both sides, he added.
China is committed to building a stable, predictable and constructive relationship with the US and hopes that the US will adopt an objective and rational perception of China, work with China in the same direction, uphold the political foundation of China-US relations, and handle unexpected and sporadic events in a calm, professional and rational manner, Qin said.
The two sides should work to stabilise and steer the relations back to the right track, he added.
Candid talks
According to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two sides held candid, in-depth and constructive talks at length on overall bilateral ties and other important issues. They agreed to jointly implement the important consensuses reached by the two presidents in Bali, effectively manage differences, and advance dialogue, exchanges and cooperation.
Both countries also agreed to maintain high-level interactions, the statement said. Blinken invited Qin to visit the US, and Qin expressed his readiness to make the visit at a mutually convenient time.
Both sides agreed to keep moving forward on consultations regarding the guiding principles of China-U.S. relations and continue advancing consultations through the joint working group to address specific issues, the statement read.
Both sides agreed to encourage more people-to-people and educational exchanges, and had positive discussions on increasing passenger flights between the two countries. Both sides welcomed more mutual visits by students, scholars and business people, and agreed to provide support and facilitation to this end.
The two sides also exchanged views on major international and regional issues of mutual interest.
* This article was originally published by CGTN.