Spokesperson: China, US efforts needed to restore ties

Photo taken on Sept 24, 2015 shows the national flags of China (right) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington DC on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (BAO DANDAN / XINHUA)

BEIJING – China has called for enhanced communication and cooperation between China and the United States to put bilateral relations back on track, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said following the latest talks between the two countries' officials.

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Xie Feng held talks with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, and Laura Rosenberger, senior director for China affairs of the White House National Security Council, in the city of Langfang near Beijing from Dec 11 to 12.

China called on both sides to strengthen communication, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, and properly manage differences to put bilateral relations back on track, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin

China said both sides should take the implementation of the important consensus reached by the two heads of state in Bali, Indonesia as the main guideline for stabilizing and developing bilateral relations in the next stage, spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing when asked for more information about the talks.

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China called on both sides to strengthen communication, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, and properly manage differences to put bilateral relations back on track, Wang said.

China called for a rejection of the zero-sum Cold War mentality, opposition to ideological and bloc confrontation, and an end to decoupling, severing supply chains and technological suppression, he said.

China opposes using competition to define the bilateral relations with the US, and opposes the US containing China in the name of competition, the spokesperson said

On the Taiwan question, China reiterated its solemn position on the US side's erroneous acts such as high-level exchanges with Taiwan, arms sales to Taiwan and Taiwan-related legislation, and urged the US to take concrete actions to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, Wang said.

China pointed out that it does not shy away from or fear competition. However, it opposes using competition to define China-US relations, and opposes the US containing China in the name of competition, the spokesperson said.

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China is committed to upholding the UN-centered international system, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations built on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Wang said.

"We do not accept the so-called 'rules' defined by individual countries or a small group of them," he said.