ExclusiveUS-China relationship must not ‘return to the cold war’: Beijing diplomat asks Washington to be patient
- US and China cannot return to traditional rivalry of major powers in 19th or 20th century, he said, calling on both sides to build a ‘shared vision’ and a ‘shared community’
Structural reforms to China’s economic and trade policies being pushed by the United States could take years to enact, Beijing’s ambassador to Washington said on Wednesday.
Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the US, also hit out at the US government’s criminal action against Chinese telecoms company Huawei, calling it “very stupid” and “absurd”.
The US-China relationship must not “return to the cold war, and cannot return to the traditional rivalry of major powers in the 19th or 20th century, he said, calling on both sides to build a “shared vision” and a “shared community”.
Discussing recent trade negotiations, Cui said that while certain commitments such as purchases of US goods could be realised in a short time frame, other reforms that would have to go through China’s legislative process could take anywhere from “five to 10 years” to accomplish.
In ongoing negotiations, Washington has demanded that Beijing address structural issues such as government industrial subsidies, lack of protection for US intellectual property and forced transfer of American technology to Chinese partners.
When asked to specify which areas of reform in particular could take multiple years to address, Cui did not elaborate, but said there were demands that were “in line” with Beijing’s own long-term plans for economic reform.