Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Lanting Forum, with the theme of "Promoting Dialogue and Cooperation and Managing Differences: Bringing China-US Relations Back to the Right Track", in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 22, 2021. (YUE YUEWEI / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on US policymakers to abandon biases, give up unwarranted suspicions, and return to reason on China policy to ensure a healthy and steady development of China-US relations.

Wang made the remarks when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Lanting Forum in Beijing, with the theme of "Promoting Dialogue and Cooperation and Managing Differences: Bringing China-US Relations Back to the Right Track."

... we must, with the sense of responsibility for the two countries and the world, make once again the sensible and right decision.

Wang Yi, Chinese state councilor and foreign minister

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Fifty years ago, Dr. Henry Kissinger made the ice-breaking visit to China, and with extraordinary political resolve, leaders of China and the United States jointly reopened the door of interaction which had been closed for decades, Wang noted.

However, in the past few years, China-US relations deviated from the normal track and ran into the biggest difficulties since the establishment of diplomatic ties, he said, adding that the root cause was beause the previous US administration, out of its own political needs, seriously distorted China's future path and policy, and on that basis, took various measures to suppress and contain China, which inflicted immeasurable damage to bilateral relations.

"Fifty years later today, we must, with the sense of responsibility for the two countries and the world, make once again the sensible and right decision," he said.

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It is important to respect each other and not to interfere in each other's internal affairs, Wang said, adding that this is a basic norm governing international relations. Noting that China has all along respected the choices made by the American people, Wang said that China has no intention to challenge or replace the United States and stands ready to have peaceful coexistence and seek common development with the United States.

"We hope the United States will respect China's core interests, national dignity, and rights to development. We urge the United States to stop smearing the Communist Party of China and China's political system, stop conniving at or even supporting the erroneous words and actions of separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence,' and stop undermining China's sovereignty and security through internal affairs concerning Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet," he added.

China is, as always, open to dialogue. We stand ready to have candid communication with the US side, and engage in dialogue aimed at solving problems.

Wang Yi

Wang stressed the importance of stepping up dialogue and properly managing differences, saying that at present, both sides should follow up on the phone call between the two presidents on the eve of the Chinese New Year, act in the fundamental interests of the two peoples, take a forward-looking, open-minded and inclusive attitude and reactivate or establish dialogue mechanisms in various areas and at various levels.

"China is, as always, open to dialogue. We stand ready to have candid communication with the US side, and engage in dialogue aimed at solving problems," Wang said.

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He called on efforts to move in the same direction to restart mutually beneficial cooperation, saying that with regional hotspot issues and global challenges emerging one after another, areas for China-US cooperation are expanding rather than shrinking, and the prospects for interaction are broadening rather than narrowing.

"We hope that the US side will adjust its policies as soon as possible, among others, remove unreasonable tariffs on Chinese goods, lift its unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and research and educational institutes, and abandon irrational suppression of China's technological progress, so as to create necessary conditions for China-US cooperation," Wang said.  

China is ready to coordinate policies and work with the US in the three areas of COVID-19, climate change and world economic recovery, Wang said.

Pointing out that it was important to clear the path for the resumption of bilateral exchanges in all areas, Wang also said that China hopes the US side will act as early as possible to lift its restrictions on Chinese educational and cultural groups, media outlets and institutions for overseas Chinese affairs in the United States, remove its barriers for US subnational governments and social sectors to engage with China, as well as encourage and support the resumption of normal exchange programs between universities and research institutes.

"China is ready to work with the United States with an open mind to build a good environment for people-to-people exchanges," he said.