Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in official remarks published on Saturday that the relationship between China and the United States has reached a “new crossroads” and that it could return to the right track following a period of “unprecedented difficulty”.
Relations between the two largest economies in the world came under great pressure amid a series of disputes over trade, human rights and the beginnings of the outbreak of the Corona virus. In its latest move, the United States blacklisted dozens of Chinese companies, saying they had ties to the military.
In a joint interview with Xinhua News Agency and other official media, Wang said recently the US policies towards China have harmed the interests of the two countries and brought grave dangers to the world.
But he said there is an opportunity now for both sides to “open a new window of hope” and start a new round of dialogue.
It was widely expected that the election of Joe Biden as president of the United States would improve relations between the two countries after a four-year escalation of tension under the Donald Trump administration. Last month, Wang expressed his hope that Biden’s election would allow the return of US policy toward China “to objectivity and rationality.”
But Biden, who will take office on January 20, continues to criticize China for its “violations” related to trade and other issues.
Wang did not name Trump or Biden, but urged the United States to “respect the social order and the path of development” that China had chosen. “If Washington were to learn lessons,” he said, the differences between the two sides would be resolved.
Politicians in the United States accused China of not disclosing the outbreak of the Corona virus in its early stages, which delayed dealing with the matter and contributed to the spread of the disease more and faster. But Wang said China had done its best to combat the spread of the virus and “sound the alarm” to the rest of the world.
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