Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held two rounds of talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington D.C. on Thursday and Friday, Reuters reports.
The two sides agreed to work together to realize the meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco.
Wang, also member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is on a three-day return visit to the United States following Blinken's China visit in June.
Wang noted that as the international situation is riddled with instability and changes, the China-U.S. relationship is also at a critical crossroads.
As the world's two largest economies and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and the U.S. are committed not only to pursuing their own development, but also to addressing common challenges, Wang said.
China always believes that the common interests of China and the U.S. outweigh the differences and contradictions, and the success achieved by China and the U.S. is an opportunity rather than a challenge to each other, he said.
Noting that the way for major countries to get along should be dialog and cooperation rather than a zero-sum game, Wang said China-U.S. relations should return to the right track of sound and stable growth as soon as possible for the benefit of the two countries and the world as a whole.
Looking back at the twists and turns of China-U.S. relations since the beginning of this year, Wang said the two sides should take stock of the past and draw lessons from it.
He said that the most important thing is to achieve the "five musts": the two sides must abide by the consensus reached by the two heads of state, must stabilize the bilateral relationship; must keep the communication channels unimpeded, must manage differences, contradictions and frictions, and must advance mutually beneficial cooperation.
Wang stressed that in order to stabilize and improve China-U.S. relations, the two sides should objectively understand each other's strategic intentions, correctly view the competitive factors in bilateral relations, and clarify the concept of national security.
Blinken said that in the recent time, the U.S. and China have maintained exchanges and interactions, carried out candid and constructive discussions, which have achieved positive results.
The U.S. side expects stable and sustainable bilateral relations, and is willing to strengthen communication with China to prevent miscalculation, explore cooperation in areas where it is needed, and prepare for high-level exchanges between them in the next stage, Blinken said.
The two sides will soon hold consultations on maritime affairs, arms control and nonproliferation, and foreign policies. They will also hold the China-U.S. Coordination Meeting on Disability and discuss the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding cooperation in disability affairs.
The two sides agreed to further increase direct passenger flights.
Wang and Blinken also exchanged views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other international and regional issues.
Wang said that the top priority now is to prevent a wider humanitarian disaster, and the fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution.
He said major countries should stay calm, objective and fair, and the United Nations must play its due role.
