BEIJING: Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Monday the United States and China could work together on issues like climate change and the coronavirus pandemic if they repaired their damaged bilateral relationship. Wang, a Chinese state councillor and foreign minister, said Beijing stood ready to reopen constructive dialogue with Washington after relations between the two countries sank to their lowest in decades under former president Donald Trump. Wang urged Washington to respect China’s core interests, stop “smearing” the ruling Communist Party, stop interfering in Beijing’s internal affairs and stop “conniving” with separatist forces for Taiwan’s independence. “We stand ready to have candid communication with the US side, and engage in dialogues aimed at solving problems.”Wang pointed to a recent call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden as a positive step. Biden has voiced concern about Beijing’s “coercive and unfair” trade practices and endorsed the Trump administration’s determination that China has committed genocide in Xinjiang.

Source: Pakistan Today February 22, 2021 05:28 UTC