Wang Yi: U.S. Views on World, China, China-U.S. Relations Are Seriously Miscalibrated

On 28 May 2022, in response to a question from a journalist on U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken's policy speech, in which he said that China poses "the most serious long-term challenge to the international order" and that the United States will "invest, align, compete", how will that affect the international landscape and China-U.S. relations, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the U.S. views on the world, on China and on China-U.S. relations reflected in this policy speech are seriously miscalibrated.

State Councilor Wang said that we want to make clear to the U.S. side that this world is not the world depicted by the United States. The most pressing task facing the international community is to jointly safeguard the life and health of the people, advance global economic recovery, and uphold world peace and tranquility. That requires a sense of a community with a shared future, and real efforts to put the purposes and principles of the UN Charter into practice. In this context, President Xi Jinping has proposed Belt and Road cooperation, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, which have all been widely welcomed and supported across the international community. In contrast, the United States sticks to U.S. centrism and exceptionalism, Cold War mentality, hegemonic logic and bloc politics. Such moves run counter to the trend of history, and will only lead to conflict, confrontation and division in the international community. The United States has, in effect, become a source of instability undermining the current international order and an obstacle in the pursuit of greater democracy in international relations.

We want to make clear to the U.S. side that China is not the country visualized by the United States. China's development and rejuvenation is underpinned by clear historical logic and strong internal driving force. The modernization drive of 1.4 billion people is tremendous progress of the humanity, not a threat or challenge to the world. What we rely on is the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the unity, hard work and perseverance of the Chinese people, and the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Our goal is open and above board: to deliver a better life for the people and make greater contributions to the world, not to replace or challenge anyone else. We are now advancing reform and opening-up and pursuing win-win cooperation at a higher level. Such efforts will lead to a better tomorrow for China, and make the world a better place.

We want to make clear to the U.S. side that the China-U.S. relationship is not the zero-sum game designed by the United States. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, whether China and the United States can handle the relationship well bears on the future of the world, and it is a question of the century to which the two countries must answer well. And when the U.S. side tries to provide its answer, it must be aware that unipolar hegemony has no support, bloc confrontation has no future, small yards with high fences mean seclusion and regression, and decoupling and supplies cut hurt the interests of all. Countries need to conduct fair competition, and China and the United States are no exception. Yet the competition should not be a vicious one. China stands ready for fair competition on who can run the country better and who can contribute more to the world. The Chinese people have the confidence and courage for that. We never recoil at blackmail or coercion, and will steadfastly safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests. Suppression and containment will only make the Chinese people more united. The Chinese people have the character and conviction for that.

State Councilor Wang stressed that as China-U.S. relations stand at an important crossroads, the United States must make the right choice. Instead of digging its heels in on its "trichotomy" and "three-point approach" to China, it should focus its efforts on the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and find the right way of interaction between the two major countries of China and the United States in the new era.