Chinese FM warns of some US political forces hijacking China-US relations

By Yan Yunming, People’s Daily

The COVID-19 epidemic is the common enemy of China and the US, and it is the shared wish of both peoples to support and help each other, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday at a press conference on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress.

China and the United States should share experience of epidemic fight and learn from each other to boost their respective responses, Wang said.

However, a “political virus” that loses no chance to attack and smear China is spreading in the US, Wang mentioned, adding that some US politicians have ignored the basic facts and made up countless lies and conspiracy theories concerning China.

He noted that a list of such lies has been compiled and debunked online, and new lies will be added to the list; the longer the list, the more stains those rumormongers will leave in history.

He called on the US side to stop wasting the precious time and stop costing people’s lives. “As we are getting prepared for a long-term and regular fight against the disease, the two countries should start as early as possible to coordinate and communicate over macro-policies to mitigate the impact of the disease on both economies and the world economy,” he said.

China has no intention to change or steal the US’ position, Wang said, adding that it is time for the US to give up its wishful thinking of changing China or stopping 1.4 billion people’s historical march toward modernization.

Wang also warned that some US political forces are taking China-US relations hostage and trying to push the two countries to the brink of a “new Cold War.”

This is a dangerous attempt to turn back the wheel of history, Wang said, noting that efforts should be made to stop the dangerous practice.

The attempt would ruin the cooperation results achieved by both peoples over the years, undermine the future development of the US, and jeopardize stability and prosperity of the world, he said.

“Both China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. This best captures what we have learned from the past decades,” he said. “Both sides should take this lesson to heart.”

“China and the US should and must find a way of peaceful co-existence and mutually beneficial cooperation, demonstrating that this is possible between two countries with different systems and cultures,” he said.

When answering a question about the source of the novel coronavirus, Wang pointed out that the difference between source tracing is a serious and complex issue of science and should be studied by scientists and medical experts. Some US politicians, however, have rushed to attach a geopolitical label to the virus, politicize its source and stigmatize China, he said, adding that history should be written with facts and truth, not be misled and polluted by lies.