China-US divergences not about power contest: Chinese FM

PARIS - The divergences between China and the United States are not about power, status or social system, but about the choices of multilateralism or unilateralism, win-win cooperation or a zero-sum game, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Sunday.

Wang made the remarks when responding to a question by Thierry de Montbrial, president of French Institute of International Relations, about how to avoid the so-called "new Cold War" between China and the United States.

China's position is very clear, which is that all countries are equal members of the international community and enjoy the right to their own development, Wang said.

"We congratulate the United States on its pioneered development. But China also has the right to development and the Chinese people have the right to live a happy life. Our brothers and sisters in other emerging economies and developing countries, including Africa, feel the same way. It is a very legitimate claim and very reasonable one," Wang said.

The top Chinese diplomat noted that China has always believed and maintained that the world is moving towards multi-polarity and that international relations also need democratization.

A healthy and stable world should not be dictated by just one or two countries. The sovereign equality of states is a fundamental principle of the Charter of the United Nations. As a world power, the United States should adopt an inclusive attitude towards the development of other countries and realize that the people of other countries have the same right to a better life as the American people, he said.

"If all the seven billion people in the world can move towards modernization, it will be a huge step forward for the human society as a whole," he noted.

Wang added that the United States may be reluctant to give up its global dominance, but the tide of history is inexorable. "We firmly believe that the day of common development of mankind will come. China never wants a 'new Cold War' with anyone, and in the era of globalization, there is no room for a 'Cold War' as it is impossible to divide the world into two or three factions."

Countries have become so interconnected as a community of shared interests that the future should see the world working together to build a community of shared future for mankind, as has been proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On China-US relations, Wang shared three basic ideas. First of all, the divergences or competition between the two countries are over the choices of multilateralism or unilateralism, win-win cooperation or a zero-sum game. "That's the nature of the current problems facing China-US relations. It's clear to the world that the United States is on the wrong side of history," he said.

Second, it seems that today's US diplomacy has been reduced to unilateral sanctions and smear attacks. In the face of the groundless accusations against China by the US side, China must make the facts clear with necessary responses. As a sovereign nation, China has the right to do so, said Wang.

"We are not only safeguarding China's national interests and dignity, but also upholding the basic norms governing international relations," he pointed out.

Third, the door for China-US dialogue is wide open. China is ready for candid and in-depth exchange of views with the US side on issues of common concern, said the minister.

"We believe that there are still people in the United States who are willing to be reasonable and that the two sides can reach consensus," Wang said, adding that China also welcomes the constructive role that European countries, including France, can play in soothing China-US relations, and is glad to see Europe adhere to strategic independence and provide stability for this uncertain world.