China urges US to work toward 'steady development' of ties

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - China on Monday urged the US to work toward the steady, sound, and sustainable development of bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect.

Beijing’s comments came in response to the new national security strategy document released by the US last week.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday that “China always believes that China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.”

“The principle of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and willing cooperation is the right way for the two countries to get along with each other, and is the only right realistic choice,” Lin told a news conference.

On economic relations, Lin remarked that the economic trade relationship between the US and China is based on “mutually beneficial cooperation,” with neither side “taking advantage of another.”

“China stands ready to work with the US to maintain the steady development of the bilateral relationship, and at the same time, will firmly defend our sovereignty, security and development interests,” he added.

On Taiwan, Lin stressed that the “Taiwan question is core to China's core interests, and is the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations,” speaking in response to the US document.

The national security strategy document said that Washington “does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”

It added that the US "will rebalance America’s economic relationship with China, prioritizing reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence."

"Trade with China should be balanced and focused on non-sensitive factors," it said.

"Our ultimate goal is to lay the foundation for long-term economic vitality. Importantly, this must be accompanied by a robust and ongoing focus on deterrence to prevent war in the Indo-Pacific.

"This combined approach can become a virtuous cycle as strong American deterrence opens up space for more disciplined economic action, while more disciplined economic action leads to greater American resources to sustain deterrence in the long term," it added.

"A related security challenge is the potential for any competitor to control the South China Sea. This could allow a potentially hostile power to impose a toll system over one of the world’s most vital lanes of commerce or—worse—to close and reopen it at will. Either of those two outcomes would be harmful to the US economy and broader US interests," said the document.