China-US ties at 'historic low' but Tesla, Fuyao stories reveal room for mutual success: Chinese foreign minister
US-China ties are at "a historical low" but the experience of Tesla and Fuyao Glass show there is still room for cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told a high-profile annual conference in Beijing.
Addressing foreign business leaders and researchers at the China Development Forum, Qin also said US moves to suppress China's development through economic decoupling and technology containment would backfire.
"At present, Sino-US relations are at a historical low point since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries," said Qin, who is among the highest-ranking members of the State Council, China's cabinet.
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"The main cause of the current predicament is that the United States regards China as its most important strategic competitor and a major geopolitical challenge, and is engaged in economic decoupling and technological containment," Qin told the forum on Monday.
Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang addresses the China Development Forum. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang addresses the China Development Forum. Photo: Xinhua>
The three-day event, organised each year by the State Council's Development Research Centre, began on Saturday - its first offline edition since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Qin's remarks came after bilateral tensions intensified over US allegations of China flying a "surveillance balloon" over its territory last month. The incident prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned trip to China in February, even as Beijing insisted the balloon was a weather device that had been blown off course.
Warning that curbing China's development risked stagnation for the US and the world as a whole, Qin said the two countries should and could achieve "mutual success and common development".
Citing the example of US carmaker Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, Qin said it had "rolled out a car every 45 seconds" as it "delivered 74,000 vehicles in February", and was a dominant player in China's "new energy vehicle" market.
Qin, who until recently was Beijing's ambassador to the US, also recalled his visit last year to the Ohio factory of Fuyao Glass, China's leading manufacturer of industrial glass. The factory had directly created nearly 2,000 local jobs and contributed 6,000 jobs to the entire supply chain, he said.
The Tesla and Fuyao examples showed how "Made in China" and "Made in the United States" were not engaged in a zero-sum, win-lose competition but could reap mutual benefit through learning from each other, Qin said.
The US has in recent months tightened restrictions on Chinese firms, including their access to advanced technology, citing national security risks.
Washington's latest move aimed at data privacy protection saw TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew face nearly five hours of questioning at a Congressional hearing last week about potential Chinese influence over the short-video platform, owned by China-based ByteDance.
Without naming the US, Qin also said that some countries were attempting to revive the Cold War and divide the world in order to maintain their hegemony, while China was offering its plans for global security and opportunities.
He highlighted Beijing's role in brokering a deal to normalise ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran earlier this month, and underlined Chinese efforts to promote peace in Ukraine with President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Moscow.
The restoration of Iran-Saudi diplomatic relations after years of hostilities set an example for countries in the region to resolve conflict and differences through dialogue and consultation, Qin said.
"It can be said that the small step of shaking hands to make peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran is also a big step for mankind to overcome conflicts and achieve reconciliation."
Referring to Beijing's 12-point position paper on the Ukraine conflict released last month, Qin said it had been welcomed by Moscow and also recognised by the Ukrainian side.
Xi's state visit to Russia last week was held up as a peace mission by China, as it presented itself as a neutral party in the conflict in Ukraine.
Qin pledged that China would actively take part in the formulation of global security rules, actively promote peace talks and mediation, and continue to find solutions with Chinese characteristics to global hotspot issues.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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