Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan attend a high-level strategic dialogue in the Alaskan city of Anchorage, the United States, March 18, 2021. (PHOTO/XINHUA)

ANCHORAGE, the United States - China and the United States must strengthen mutual communication, properly manage differences, strive to promote cooperation and avoid confrontation, said a senior Chinese official on Thursday.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at the start of a two-day high-level strategic dialogue with the United States in the Alaskan city of Anchorage.

Yang Jiechi said many achievements have been made since the "ice-breaking" of China-US relations, which are accomplished by the joint efforts of people with vision on both sides and are hard won

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also attended the dialogue.

Yang said many achievements have been made since the "ice-breaking" of China-US relations, which are accomplished by the joint efforts of people with vision on both sides and are hard won.

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Yang also said that the current international situation has witnessed great changes, adding that under the new situation, the two countries must strengthen mutual communication, properly manage differences, strive to promote cooperation and avoid confrontation.

There was an era of confrontation between China and the United States, and China has come through, said Yang, adding that facts have proved that confrontation has no benefits for the United States.

He also noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping has pointed out that China and the United States should be committed to non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and US President Joe Biden also said that the two countries should avoid conflict and confrontation with each other.

Yang added the two sides should fully and correctly implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries so as to return China-US relations to the track of healthy and stable development.  

When delivering opening remarks first, the US side overran the agreed time and launched groundless attacks on China's domestic and foreign policies

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"We hope the dialogue will be sincere and honest," said Yang.

Yang stressed the importance of managing differences between the two countries properly and promoting cooperation.

At the start of the talks, senior Chinese officials put forward China's stands on relevant issues.

Any attempt to change China's social system futile

Yang also said any attempt to change China's social system is futile.

Yang said as major countries of the world, China and the United States shoulder responsibility for global and regional peace, stability and development.

During the just concluded sessions of its national legislature and political advisory body, China adopted the Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, Yang said, pointing out that China now stands at a historical juncture where the timeframes of its two centenary goals converge.

Yang pointed out that China upholds peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, humanity's common values, and stands for safeguarding the international system with the United Nations (UN) at the core and the international order based on international law, rather than the order based on rules formulated by a small number of countries.

Most countries in the world do not recognize that the US values represent the international values, do not recognize that what the United States says represents the international public opinion, and do not recognize that the rules formulated by a few countries represent international rules, said Yang.

The United States has its own model of democracy, and China has its own style, he noted, adding that unlike the United States, which willfully uses military forces, and causes instability and unrest worldwide, China is committed to the path of peaceful development and has made unremitting efforts to promote international and regional peace and development, and uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the United States should quit its old bad habit of hegemonism and stop interfering in China's internal affairs

The United States has many domestic problems in areas like human rights, said Yang, adding that what the United States should do is to improve its image and mind its own business, rather than leaving its own problems unsolved, shipping its problems to other parts of the world, diverting attention of others, and making irresponsible remarks about China's human rights and democracy.

US urged to quit old bad habit of hegemonism

Meanwhile, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the United States should quit its old bad habit of hegemonism and stop interfering in China's internal affairs.

China has never accepted and will never accept unwarranted accusations from the United States, Wnag said, urging Washington to completely abandon its overbearing behavior of interfering in China's internal affairs.

In the past few years, due to the irrational suppression of China's legitimate rights and interests, China-US relations have encountered unprecedented difficulties, Wang said, adding that this situation has harmed the interests of the two peoples and stability and development of the world, which should stop.

Wang also said people of the world will make a fair judgment on who is coercing whom and history will draw a just conclusion.

He was referring to the US side's claim in its opening remarks that some countries believed that China coerced them.

The US side should make it clear whether such a claim comes from those countries or America's own assumption, Wang said.

If the United States is partial to some countries just because they are its allies, or even take sides with their wrong words and deeds, it will be difficult for a smooth development of the international relations, Wang added.

Attacks against China 'groundless'

The Chinese side came to Anchorage with sincerity for the high-level strategic dialogue at the invitation of the US side, and was ready to conduct the talks in line with the procedure and arrangement agreed upon by both sides in advance, according to an official with the Chinese delegation on Thursday.

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However, when delivering opening remarks first, the US side overran the agreed time and launched provocative groundless attacks and accusations against China's domestic and foreign policies, according to a briefing released.

According to the briefing, the Chinese side deemed it is not the proper way of hosting guests, nor is it compatible with diplomatic protocol, and solemnly responded.

"We hope the dialogue will be sincere and honest," said Yang as the talks entered their second day.

Yang stressed the importance of managing differences between the two countries properly and promoting cooperation.