US should show broadmindedness, act responsibly: China's Xi tells American lawmakers

By Riyaz ul Khaliq and Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - China's President Xi Jinping urged the US to "demonstrate broadmindedness" and "act with a sense of responsibility" during a meeting on Monday with a delegation of US senators led by Chuck Schumer.

"The China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. How China and the US get along will determine the future of humanity," Xi told the US lawmakers.

The Schumer-led delegation is on a two-day visit to China, focusing on issues of economic competition, security, American national security, and global leadership in advanced technology, according to the senator's office.

"As two major countries, China and the US should demonstrate the broadmindedness, vision and readiness to rise to the occasion expected by the international community and act with a sense of responsibility to history, to the people and to the world," Xi told the US lawmakers, according to Hua Chunying, spokeswoman of China's Foreign Ministry.

Earlier in the day, the US senators met China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi who hoped the visit would help Washington "in gaining a more accurate understanding of China."

Wang urged the US to adopt a "more objective view, handle existing differences rationally, and facilitate a return to a healthy development path in Beijing-Washington relations."

He emphasized, "China cannot become the US, and of course, the US cannot become China. Such differences have not prevented us from engaging in mutually beneficial cooperation in the past. Nor should it be a reason for confrontation today."

The Schumer-led group, including Senators Michael D. Crapo, Bill Cassidy, Maggie Hassan, John Kennedy, and Jon Ossoff, is also expected to visit Japan and South Korea.

"Competition and confrontation are not consistent with the trend of the times. Still less can it fix one’s own problems and address challenges facing the world," Xi told the US senators.