Chinese diplomats urge Harvard audience to build trust and not heed ‘narrow-minded’ Americans
- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang and New York Consul General Huang Ping say cooperation between the two countries is indispensable
- At a conference at Harvard, the senior diplomats urged the US to avoid stoking conflicts
US leaders and lawmakers should focus on improving China-US relations and building trust rather than listening to “narrow-minded” Americans keen to blame outsiders, senior Chinese diplomats said Saturday.
Speaking at the Harvard College China Forum, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang and New York Consul General Huang Ping said improved ties between the US and China transformed the world over the past half-century, adding that whether the countries choose destructive competition or beneficial cooperation will transform the next 50 years.
“China-US cooperation is indispensable, and yet we’re faced with dark clouds that involve misreading and misjudging,” said Qin, citing the danger of a “new Cold War”. “What does the future hold for the bilateral relationship and how do we find a new way to get along? These are questions that will garner the attention of the world.”
Following up a few minutes later, Huang called on the US to avoid stoking irritants. Citing the virtual meeting in November between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping, he called on the US to live up to its word by not supporting Taiwan independence, not using its alliances against China and not taking steps that lead to conflict.
“The most important event in the next 50 years will be for China and the US to find a way to get along with each other,” Huang said. “Do not learn from spiders who make their own webs but bees who make their own honey together.”