China’s relationship with the US has reached a “new crossroads” and could get back on the right track following a period of “unprecedented difficulty,” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said in official comments published yesterday.
Relations between the world’s two biggest economies have come under increasing strain amid a series of disputes over trade, human rights and the origins of COVID-19.
In its latest move, the US blacklisted dozens of Chinese companies it said had ties to the country’s military.
Photo: Reuters
Wang said in a joint interview with Xinhua news agency and other state media that recent US policies toward China had harmed the interests of both countries and brought huge dangers to the world.
However, there was now an opportunity for the two sides to “open a new window of hope” and begin a new round of dialogue, he said.
The election of Joe Biden as US president has been widely expected to improve relations between Washington and Beijing after four years of escalating tensions under the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Last month, Wang said he hoped the election of Biden would allow the US’ China policy to “return to objectivity and rationality.”
However, Biden, who is to take office on Jan. 20, has continued to criticize China for its “abuses” on trade and other issues.
Wang did not mention Trump or Biden by name, but he urged the US to “respect the social system and development path” chosen by China, adding that if Washington “learns lessons,” the conflicts between the two sides could be resolved.
“We know some people in the United States are apprehensive about China’s rapid development, but the most sustainable leadership is to constantly move forward yourself, rather than block the development of other countries,” he said.
Politicians in the US have accused China of covering up the outbreak of COVID-19 during its early stages, delaying its response, and allowing the disease to spread much further and faster.
However, Wang said China had done its utmost to combat the virus’ spread, “sounding the alarm” for the rest of the world.
“We raced against time, and were the earliest to report the epidemic to the world,” he said. “More and more studies show that the epidemic very probably emerged in many places throughout the world.”
Taiwan has arranged for about 8 million barrels of crude oil, or about one-third of its monthly needs, to be shipped from the Red Sea this month to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and ease domestic supply pressures, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) said yesterday. The state-run oil company has worked with Middle Eastern suppliers to secure routes other than the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes, CPC chairman Fang Jeng-zen (方振仁) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. Suppliers in Saudi Arabia have indicated they
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
CCP ‘PAWN’? Beijing could use the KMT chairwoman’s visit to signal to the world that many people in Taiwan support the ‘one China’ principle, an academic said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday arrived in China for a “peace” mission and potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), while a Taiwanese minister detailed the number of Chinese warships currently deployed around the nation. Cheng is visiting at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, as the opposition-dominated Legislative Yuan stalls a government plan for US$40 billion in extra defense spending. Speaking to reporters before going to the airport, Cheng said she was going on a “historic journey for peace,” but added that some people felt uneasy about her trip. “If you truly love Taiwan,
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
RSS