Beijing (AFP) - Foreign Minister Wang Yi of
China told his US counterpart Rex Tillerson that Beijing was ready to work with
the Trump administration, according to a Chinese account
of their meeting in Bonn. Wang and
Tillerson met on Friday at a G20 gathering of foreign ministers the
highest-level Sino-US encounter since President Donald Trump was elected.
Trump had infuriated Beijing by calling into
question Washington's long-standing "One China" policy, but later
reaffirmed it in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping last
week. Wang told Tillerson this consensus on the issue "created the
necessary pre-conditions for the two nations to engage in strategic cooperation
on bilateral, regional, and global issues," said a Chinese foreign
ministry statement issued late Friday.
"Wang said that China and the United
States, both shouldering the responsibilities of securing world stability and
enhancing global prosperity, had more common interests than disputes," the
statement went on. "China is ready to work with the US side to implement
the consensus reached between President Xi and President Trump, and move the
bilateral relationship forward in the direction that features no conflict, no
confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation."
North Korea said this week it had
successfully test-fired a new type of medium- to long-range ballistic missile.
State-run KCNA news agency said leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of the
weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead."There are still
opportunities for the resumption of six-part talks," Wang told the Munich
Security Conference, referring to talks with the United States, South Korea,
China, Japan and Russia. "We should work to bring the parties back to the
table."
In 2005, North Korea reached an agreement
with those six countries to suspend its nuclear program in return for
diplomatic rewards and energy assistance. Negotiations collapsed after the last
round of talks in 2008, with North Korea declaring the deal void after refusing
inspections to verify compliance and leading to a series of new sanctions on
Pyongyang, as well as international condemnation.
"We hope for all parties concerned will
refrain from taking further actions that may lead to escalations of the
tensions," Wang said. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests,
including two last year, although its claims to be able to miniaturize a
nuclear weapon to be mounted on a missile have never been verified
independently.
Wang added that the two sides should increase
communication and cooperation "to ensure greater development of bilateral
relations during Trump's presidency." The "One China" policy is
an acknowledgement that Taiwan is not separate from mainland China.
Trump's telephone call with Taiwan's
president after his November election victory infuriated Beijing, which saw it
as a repudiation of the "One China" policy. Wang's attendance at the
G20 foreign ministers' meeting seemed in doubt in the fallout, but after Trump's
call with Xi, it was announced that the trip would go ahead.
The US State Department said the two
ministers discussed the need for a "level playing field for trade and
investment." It said Tillerson also told Wang that Beijing must rein in
North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
0 Comments